


Lost

by IAmAshamedOfMyFanfics (faraandmera)



Series: A MAMA powers AU thing [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Friendship, Gen, Luhan and Kris are in the story in flashbacks, M/M, MAMA Era Powers (EXO), decided to add some relationship tags so theres that, more still might be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:31:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21866164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faraandmera/pseuds/IAmAshamedOfMyFanfics
Summary: Their memories were stolen.Their friends were stolen from them.When their memories start to return, it's only natural to find each other. To want to remember the rest.To want to fight back, against the force that stole their lives from them.(Note:This story 100% can stand alone,and reading the other story in this series is NOT NEEDED. They share a universe, but that's it.)
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun & Park Chanyeol, Byun Baekhyun/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay, Do Kyungsoo | D.O & Kim Jongin | Kai, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Park Chanyeol, Kim Junmyeon | Suho & Wu Yi Fan | Kris, Kim Minseok | Xiumin & Kim Jongdae | Chen, Kim Minseok | Xiumin & Lu Han
Series: A MAMA powers AU thing [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1575310
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Places

**Author's Note:**

> Partial re-write of a discontinued story i wrote...years ago, right after the pathcode teaser came out  
partial new story, based on that original story, and some stuff that's happened since then.
> 
> though kinda a part of a series, it is NOT neccessary to read the other one. In fact, i would not recommend it. (It was re-written, but the plot was still the same, and thus...bad)
> 
> but this story is better!!
> 
> I've written up to chapter 8, already, so updates will be consistent for a while. (And I know the plot, going forward.)

Jongin doesn’t remember _why_, but he moves to London when he’s nineteen. Remembers wanting to get away from home- from yelling, from screaming. Remembers running away, when he was a teenager, only to return telling everyone he was fine, that they could call off the search. Doesn’t remember why he returned, but remembers leaving as soon as he could, after. Nothing had changed, and he couldn’t _stay there_ anymore.

That he remembers.

What he doesn’t remember is what made him choose London. What he doesn’t remember is _where he was_, when he ran away, all those years ago. What he doesn’t remember feels so close- in the sound of static, the shutters of a camera- but he can’t quite reach it.

Something about earth- something about a _person_\- echos in his mind, vague and unwilling to surface.

Something about being trapped.

Something that makes him want to run. To somewhere, but he doesn’t know where. No matter how far he ventures- no matter how far from his apartment he gets- it’s not far enough. Not fast enough. Like he’s standing still, unable to get free of that _feeling_.

Once upon a time, dancing had given him that freedom. When he was a teenager- before he ran away, that time he doesn’t really remember- yet now it does nothing. Doesn’t help. That trapped feeling remains, echoing, tightening in his chest.

Jongin wants to scream.

Zitao loses his first competition at eighteen. The disappointment that plays on people’s faces makes him want out, for a while. He likes competitions- still goes to them- but the expectation everyone has for him to _win_ gets to him. He doesn’t want to deal with it, so he eventually stops entirely.

At nineteen, Zitao moves to Barcelona, but for some reason he can’t remember why. There are a lot of things he doesn’t remember. Like why he stayed in Korea when he was seventeen, nor who with. Doesn’t remember winning most of his competitions, despite knowing he must have. There being records of it.

Sometimes, in moments of idle conversations surrounding him, or pages turning, he thinks he can remember _something_. Thinks, maybe, he can reach that memory. Figure out why he feels so stiff- so _slow_. Why the world feels so fast. Like it’s moving too quickly, like he’s not keeping up. Yet, nothing comes to him. No answers, no explanations, no _memories_.

At some point, Zitao realizes, he no longer feels the risk of disappointing anyone. It’s a relief, yet he doesn’t know why it happens.

Zitao doesn’t know a lot of things.

Chanyeol moves to Arizona once he’s out of high school. Can’t remember anything _from_ high school, for the life of him. Not his friends, not the exchange program he was a part of, shortly after changing schools. Doesn’t even remember his apparent _best friend_, who his mother tells him gave him the pocket watch he feel the need to keep with him at all times.

In a way, Chanyeol thinks he doesn’t remember who he, himself, was. He’s scared to ask.

Every once in a while, when the wind picks up- or the ticking of his watch is loud enough- something hits him. A vague memory of the walls of his high school, and the flickering of light. An arm thrown over his shoulder, and a joke that makes him laugh. But no face surfaces in his memory.

This frustrates him to no end.

It’s supposed to be warm, here, yet Chanyeol find he feels far too cold, all the time. The wind hits him harshly, and he finds himself shivering. Something about it is _wrong_, he thinks. The cold.

It’s… lonely. Chanyeol feels ever so alone, in the cold. That memory so distant.

Minseok moves to Berlin at twenty one. Know he does it to start working there, but over the years- job changes, apartment changes- the point of the move is lost to him. The reason it was worth it lost.

Minseok is missing a lot of his memory, but he doesn’t talk to anyone about it. Memories of family, friends, his life. Missing in a way that’s terrifying. Nothing he _knows_ feels familiar. There is something familiar, in the sounds of songs, but not enough to reach any tangible memories. Just a vague feeling.

The static of his TV screen makes him feel like he’s forgetting something. Something _important_.

There a name, there, on the tip of his tongue. It aches with the title _friend_, but he can’t reach it.

The cold of his glass sinks into his skin, and he feels so uncomfortable.

So trapped.

Sehun doesn’t live here, but he stays in Edinburgh, now. Searching for something, but he isn’t sure what, he travels a lot. There’s something in the kids voices, here, that makes him think he remembers something. The orphanage is small, nearly empty, but he finds himself visiting to try and catch that memory. He doesn’t know why it seems so important.

He remembers faces- people he thinks were his friends- but they mix too easily with the faces of the kids. Twist until he’s not sure he’s remembered anything at all. Sehun had once been looked after as a mental patient, escaped only to later return. Eventually was released when they decided there was _nothing wrong_ with him. He’s _better now_, they tell him. But he wonders if he was sick in the first place. Searches for reasons, and wonders if the twisting faces are a result, or a cause.

Sehun wonders, sometimes, why they don’t feel real. His breathing is difficult- stressful- and he thinks, maybe, the kids aren’t real.

Junmyeon lives in Marseille. Breathes in the air and forgets for a moment that he’s missing memories. People that used to surround him gone entirely from his memory. At this rate, he’s scared he’ll start to forget everything.

His reflection is wrong, somehow. Upsets him in a way that doesn’t make sense. The creaking of his house's pipes echos too loudly, he tries to avoid his mirror. Aches to call out a name he can’t remember.

_Friend_. It feels right, but he can’t place the word to anything.

Junmyeon’s pipes don’t work.

He doesn’t want to fix them.

Jongdae hates noise.

No, he hates _unneeded _noise. No, maybe if it were himself- and his _friends_\- then it wouldn’t bother him. He thinks that would be okay, and yet. When had that ever happened?

Sometimes Jongdae remembers living with his family- always too loud, too late at night- and is thankful for the silences of his new home. In Almaty. Weirdly, he doesn’t really remember moving here.

_You’re forgetting them_, echos in his head, as wind kicks up, turning the pages of books set aside. Who _they_ are, he doesn’t remember. The sounds make him feel like he can reach a memory, almost. So he buys another book- and another, and another- and lets the wind turn the pages for him. Listens, feeling so close to what he’s missing.

The bell of the tower rings, and he hates the sound. Feels so _blank_, missing something.

Jongdae hates the noise.

Baekhyun was afraid, once, of the dark. At least, he thinks he was. Yet, since he moved to Lyon, working at night, his walks home have been in the dark. He’s adjusted.

The brick walls, the noise of music playing in his ears as he walks home, they bring a memory- a feeling- to the surface. A fear of the dark, of a monster in it, that he doesn’t feel any more. He’s not scared, anymore, Baekhyun thinks. Yet… he feels like he’s forgetting something.

Something about the dark. Something _in_ the dark. The feeling presses at his mind.

Once, Baekhyun had a best friend who told him they could _protect each other_ from the dark. There’s no voice to go along with this memory, the only one he has of this person.

Baekhyun isn’t scared of the dark, anymore. Too used to it.

He hates it.

Yixing wouldn’t be able to tell you what made him move to Yunnan. He wouldn’t be able to tell you a lot of things, unable to remember. He lived in Korea for two years, he remembers none of it. Couldn’t tell you what he did, why he moved.

He had friends, there, Yixing thinks. Can vaguely remember this fact, sometimes. Chimes, creaking boards, pouring water, the light of his phone. Each tell him of a vague memory he can’t quite grasp. People who he worried for, that he doesn’t know.

When someone is hurt, he wants to reach out. To help. Yet he always finds himself stopping. An aching in his chest stops him. He’s filled with _fear_, that he doesn’t know the source of.

Yixing wouldn’t be able to tell you a lot of things. Like who his family are. Who his friends were.

Why he suddenly is okay being alone, when he knows he wasn’t before.

Kyungsoo remember being around people that he loved. Remember unimportant things, yet can’t seem to remember anything important. The voices, the faces, the _reasons_. Kyungsoo moved the Colorado, instead of going to the college he’d wanted to since he was little.

He drops something, and the thud echos through his head like he might remember something. There’s a display, in his home, spinning with water and glass orbs. They hit each other and while there’s no sound, his head aches. He doesn’t get rid of it.

Kyungsoo doesn’t remember where the display came from, but there’s twelve piece of glass in it and the number feels… strange somehow. Complete, correct, but too many all at once.

A voice- somewhere in the back of their minds- tries to reach them. To say _someone’s gone_. To say _someones trapped_. If they hear it, they don’t know what it means.


	2. People I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of them start to remember something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another rewrite chapter. after chapter 4, though, it'll be all new.  
i think i'll post chapter 3, today, too.

Baekhyun breathes a sigh, as the light ahead of him flickers. He already hates the darkness of his walk home without the threat of what little light there is going away.

Footsteps echo against the stone- against the brick walls- barely audible over the sound of music in his ears. He stops, under the flickering light, and removes one earphone. The light above him goes out.

“What luck,” He says, to himself, tone laced with sarcasm. Sighs again, into the silence. Breathes in, and stretches his arms above him, yawning. Finally, he takes another step forward. Reaches to put his other earphone in, when his music stops entirely. The only sound is the humming of the still-on lights ahead and behind him, and his footsteps. “What happened?”

His muttering echos through the path. Baekhyun pulls out his phone, to check if something is wrong, only to find it off. He should have had more battery, than that.

A sound.

Baekhyun spins around, swearing he heard something behind him. Panic fills him all at once; intense, yet somehow familiar.

_“Run, Baekhyun.”_

“Is someone there?”

_“Run!”_

Baekhyun spins, running. He doesn’t know what makes him run- why he feels the need- but he _has to_. Until he’s running out of breath, and he hits a gate. “Shit.” The muttered curse comes with closed eyes. He opens them, and turns around. Presses himself against the gate.

_“It’s light? That could be useful.”_

“Light?” Baekhyun pants, a memory there in his mind. Vague, but important. The lights around him go out. _“Light?”_

_“You’re light.”_

“I’m light?” Baekhyun frowns, shaking his head. No, he just creates- “What?” Baekhyun feels like his memory is right there. So close to the surface. “What does that _mean?”_

Something’s getting closer. Down the dark path Baekhyun is staring in to.

It’s going to kill him. He knows it.

“Light.” Baekhyun realizes, all at once.

His vision fills with light.

“How are you two, today?” Sehun asks, looking at the two children. They sit, playing with toy planes in the middle of the orphanage.

_“I’ve been better, Sehun,”_ the first says. The second gives a small, _“yeah.”_

“Oh, is that-” Sehun stops, frowning at them. Neither had answered him, before. Always silent. Yet now they had, so informal- so _familiar_. “What?”

_“It’s like you don’t remember us at all, Sehun.”_

Sehun blinks, vision blurring. Raises his hand to rub his eyes, only to find himself crying. Why is he crying? He closes his eyes, shakes his head, and open them again.

The kids are gone.

_“Two are trapped, Sehun.”_

“Who’s voice…” Sehun shakes his head, covers his ears. “No. No voices, please. I’m not-”

_“Minseok and Junmyeon need your help. I need your help, again.”_

“Stop it!” Sehun closes his eyes, presses harder against his ears. The kids are still gone. He turns.

Sehun runs.

Jongin puts down a pen, runs a hand through his hair, and closes his eyes. He’d been working really hard, recently. He could use a break. Maybe some fresh air.

Jongin opens his eyes, suddenly off balance. Feels wind against his face, and finds himself on a bridge.

“How did I- when did I?” Jongin raises his arm, looks down at his watch. The time hasn’t changed, ticking forward normally.

_“It’s happened before.”_

“It-” Jongin stops himself. People passing glance at him. Give him strange looks for talking to himself. Jongin sighs, shakes his head.

_It happened before?_ Right, he thinks. His parents told him. He woke up in a park, once, with no memory of how he got there. Jongin doesn’t remember it.

_“You went there.”_

Jongin frowns. Looks around to try and figure out where he is. Went there? Went _where?_ The park? Jongin doesn’t recognize where he is, now. How did he get there? How did he get here?

“I wanted to be here,” Jongin says, realization setting in.

Sehun runs until he’s out of breath. Comes to a stop, not knowing where he’d run too. All he knows is he wanted to get away. Get away from the kids that weren’t there.

“That-” Sehun breathes- “doesn’t make any sense.”

_“You’re still scared to remember?”_

“Shut up!”

“Sehun?”

“Shut up!” Sehun violently turns on his heel, to face the voice. The voice that _isn’t_ in his head. Sehun blinks at the man in front of him. He knows the face, he’s sure. Can’t place it, but he knows him.

“Sehun… You’re, Sehun, right?”

“Who are you?”

“Jongin.” The man- Jongin- looks around. “Where _are_ we?”

“You shouldn’t teleport if you don’t know where too,” Sehun scolds, tone amused. Then he freezes. They both stop, looking at each other wide-eyed.

“You really _are_ crazy, talking about teleporting.”

“I’m not the one who changed his name for no reason, _Kai_.”

“Hey, I gave up on that! Back to Jongin, thank you very much.”

All at once, Sehun feels lighter. He remembers one person, for sure.

Jongdae hates the sound of the ringing bell. His mind goes blank, yet he looks up at it. Feels the need to.

_“It reminds you.”_

There are people in front of him. He lowers his gaze, to them, startled. Raises out of his seat, as one of them speaks. “Are you… Jongdae?”

“Yes?” He narrows his eyes at them. “Who are you?”

“No one remembers, do they?” One asks. He faces the other. “I bet if you dyed your hair a rainbow again, they would.”

“Shut up, _Kai._”

“No, he’s right. I would recognize you a lot easier if you did, Sehun.” Jongdae’s words come without him realizing them. he blinks, as the two face him, surprised.

“You said my name! Do you remember?”

“What- I- no.” Jongdae shakes his head. Remember _what?_ “What are you talking about?”

They face him with as much confusion as he feels.

Baekhyun calls his mother, asking her what his best friends name was. Asks for his birthday, and any other information she might have. Her confusion- her questioning his lack of memory- gets to him, but he only presses further. So she tells him what she can.

He searches phone books, the internet, any records he can. Spends days after _the incident_ doing so. Asks his boss to switch to day shift, and quits when his boss says no. It might be a terrible idea, but he can’t focus on anything else. Needs desperately to find his best friend, to get answers.

Finds many false leads, but one calls to him. Feels correct, for no reason other than instinct. So Baekhyun buys a plane ticket, and sets out to find one _Park Chanyeol._

Chanyeol wakes to burning. The smell of burning wood is a horrifying thing to wake up to. Chanyeol sits up immediately, in a panic, only to find himself surrounded by fire. He’s not in his home, but the forest. The heat should be terrifying, yet somehow Chanyeol feels comfortable.

Doesn’t know what to do, as he watches the flames spread.

_“You can stop it.”_

“What do I do?” Chanyeol coughs as he breathes in smoke. Covers his mouth as his coughing continues. Aches in his lungs.

“You can stop it!”

“How am I supposed to-” Chanyeol stops. Spins to the source of the voice. “Baekhyun?”

“Idiot! Focus!” Coughing.

_“Just think. You want the fire gone, right?”_

“How- how did I?” Chanyeol stares down at his hands, as if they’ll give him answers. Baekhyun- and how does he remember him- stands at Chanyeol’s side. Nods. “I _did that_.”

“No, really?” Baekhyun’s sarcasm gets a laugh from Chanyeol.

“I know you. How?”

“You don’t even remember your best friend? I’m hurt.” Yet Baekhyun doesn’t seem surprised. Nor hurt. His expression is more understanding. Like he knows. “I didn’t, either. Until a few days ago.”

“How did you find me? In the middle of a forest?” And Chanyeol still doesn’t remember how he _got here_.

“No clue. Maybe it’s fate.”

“Maybe you’re an idiot.”

“Wow, okay. Why were we friends, again? You’re so mean to me.”

“Like you’re any better.”

“Oh, definitely not.” Baekhyun laughs, familiar in a way Chanyeol has been trying to grasp for years.

“How many of us were there?” Jongin asks. He and Jongdae both turn to Sehun, as if the youngest of them should have all the answers. For some reason, they think he used to. For some reason, he thinks he _should_.

“I- I can’t remember. I’m just as lost as you.” Sehun shakes his head. No, that’s not quite right. “No that’s- I was actively trying to figure things out, but it’s like… you two were completely lost. You didn’t even know you had to find something, right?”

Jongdae hums in acknowledgement. Jongin speaks. “So the rest of us are lost, and you were _searching_?”

“That sounds like you trying to sound like you didn’t forget just as much as the rest of us,” Jongdae says, frowning.

“Does it matter?” Sehun sighs.

“No,” Jongin shakes his head. “We just have to do the same as last time, right? Find everyone.”

“Last time?” Sehun’s question gets pause from the other two.

“There- was there a last time?” Jongdae asks.

They can’t answer him.


	3. People II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The others begin to remember.  
Two remain in their broken memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter for the day.  
More....tomorrow or the next day.

Yixing wouldn’t be able to tell you why, but every time he’s aware of one happening, he goes to see martial arts contests. Though seeing people get hurt is something he’d rather avoid- it doesn’t happen as much as he thought it did, in them- he always feels the need to go. If they’re nearby, he might as well, right?

Zitao doesn’t know why he goes to this competition. He’s not competing- hasn’t in a while- but he feels the need to go. To see. There are countries between him and it, yet before he realizes he’s done it, he’s there.

Yixing pauses, staring at the person with dyed-blond hair. It’s pretty unusual around here, he tries to reason, even when he know it isn’t the reason. When the face of the person feels _so familiar,_ though he can’t figure out _why_.

“Is something wrong?” They asks. There’s a light tick to their voice that aches with familiarity. Yixing doesn’t know why.

“Do- do I know you?” Yixing asks, in return. Realizes vaguely how that might sound- like he’s just trying to get something out of the conversation- but he has to ask. Has to know. Because there has to be _some _reason he so desperately wants this conversation to continue.

“I don’t know,” the answer comes, soft. Honest. “My name is Zitao, does that help? Ring any bells?”

“You’ve grown,” Yixing says, without thinking. Neither of them look as surprised as Yixing thinks they should. “I’m Yixing.”

“You’ve lost weight,” Zitao says, frowning at him. Yixing laughs.

_“Stay together a while.”_ _   
_

“Who are we looking for, here?” Jongdae asks as they look around the empty field. “Are we really supposed to find someone in the middle of nowhere?”

“I don’t know.” Sehun tsks, looking away from Jongdae. He’s said that too much, but it’s still the truth. He knows- feels- that they should be here, even if he doesn’t know for sure why.

“Have some faith,” Jongin says. “We found _you_ based on Sehun’s instinct.”

“Did you run away from home again?” The voice is startlingly familiar. Sehun nearly yells, _“I told you so,”_ at Jongdae while the voice continues. “Or are we free of worrying about the police this time?”

“At least my power is cool,” Jongin jokes, spinning around to face the person. For a moment, he doesn’t recognize the two behind him, but his immediate response proves to him that he must know them.

“It’s been a while,” the second person speaks. “Look, Sehun is even all grown up.”

“Shut up, Chanyeol.” Sehun rolls his eyes at the other, before realizing what he, himself, has said. Then he waves at the two, as they approach. “Hey.”

“Hey, kids.”

“We’re the same age,” Jongdae says, frowning at the two. He doesn’t know how he knows that- or, maybe, part of him must by now.

“You don’t hear the Tree anymore?” Chanyeol asks, putting an arm around Sehun’s shoulder. Sehun shrugs him off with a frown.

“No. I didn’t even remember that I ever had, until you guys started showing up.”

“You don’t hear _anything_, at all?”

“I hear _something_, I just don’t know if it’s the Tree, or something else.”

“Is it- like- a voice telling you things you need to remember?” Baekhyun asks, sitting forward on one of the hotel room’s beds. The group have relocated, since the five of them weren’t going to keep talking in the middle of nowhere, for the rest of the night.

‘You too?” Jongin mutters, frowning.

“Wait.” Sehun looks around the group. “Do we _all_?”

“So, the Tree of Life… might be communicating with us all? Even though it used to talk to only Sehun?” Chanyeol seems to struggle between his words- what he _knows_\- and what he actually, actively remembers.

“Do any of you…” Jongdae trails off, shaking his head. “Do any of you actually remember anything about the, “Tree of Life,” or?”

“No.” Jongin shakes his head. “I don’t, but… I keep _saying things_ I don’t remember, anyway. So there has to be some memory there. I just can’t…”

“Reach it?”

“Yeah.”

They all understand that.

“Here we are, again. Somewhere random without any idea if it’s the right place,” Jongdae says, teasing Sehun. The other kicks at Jongdae’s legs, rolling his eyes.

“Sorry, do _you_ have any idea where we’re going to find the others? I didn’t think so.”

“For once, I kind of agree with Jongdae,” Jongin says. He ignore Jongdae’s noise of offense. “There are a lot of people here. How will we know who we’re looking for-”

“Zitao!” Sehun shouts, running forward before the others can react.

“I guess we’re looking for Zitao,” Baekhyun says, the first to move to follow him. The others are only a half step behind. They all- Sehun included- stop in front of the man that must be Zitao.

“Um, yes?” Zitao raises an eyebrow at them in question.

“So, man, about those superpowers?” Chanyeol says, as he comes to a stop. All at once, the group share looks or realization- that they _remember_ something- before most of them laugh. Jongdae reaches over to shove Chanyeol.

“Is that the only way you can introduce yourself to someone? I _swear_ that was how we first met.”

“I remember that!” Baekhyun says, turning to him with clear excitement at having a memory surface. He ignore the surprised look Zitao is giving the group. “We showed up at your apartment- like- “hey, so, superpowers?” And you almost slammed the door in our face.”

“I did not.”

“You definitely did.”

“Didn’t you do that exact same thing when you showed up to us, too?” Zitao asks, finally, confusion clear on his face. “Whoever, “us,” is supposed to be…”

“Us and some of the… others.” Another person- who was walking with Zitao, and is standing next to him now- speaks. Drawing their attention to him, as they realize he, too, is familiar. “They said the same thing to- to… who?”

“Yixing!” Jongdae moves, first, grabbing the other’s shoulders. Yixing blinks at him. “My most _sane_ friend, how I’ve missed you.”

“I’m perfectly sane.” Baekhyun’s argument get’s a laugh from Yixing.

“I wouldn’t say _any_ of us were.” Yixing smiles at them.

Kyungsoo sighs in relief as he closes a folder. Another project for work done, he drops it onto his table- it lands with a thud, shaking the display of glass orbs- to take in later.

_“Not glass, rock.”_

Kyungsoo glances at the display, frowning. “I never did actually check what they were. I wonder if they’re even glass…” Kyungsoo reaches into the display without thinking. His sleeve soaks with water, as he tires and fails to grab them. They move away from his hand, in the water, until seven of the twelve are pushed to one side.

For some reason he thinks, maybe, he did that. But what does that even _mean_?

_“They’re rocks, you could have.”_

“If they were rocks, what would I-” Kyungsoo stops, frown deepening. “Rocks? What does that have to do with anything?”

Kyungsoo pulls his hand back, stares as water drips from his sleeve.

“What was I thinking…”

“Should we just be glad you landed outside of someone’s house, instead of inside?” Zitao asks, as they stand on someone’s porch. He looks to Jongin, who shrugs.

“You should be glad I can teleport more than five of us at once.” A pause. “Was that a limit I had?”

“Let’s just knock,” Baekhyun says, patting Jongin on the shoulder.

“Don’t let Chanyeol talk,” Sehun says.

“Hey!”

“Oh, you should have seen that coming.” Jongdae shakes his head.

“The door opened.” Yixing points out. True to his statement, when they turn back to the door- finally- it’s open. A man standing there, looking generally annoyed.

“Can I help you? Or are you just here to argue outside of my door?”

“Kyungsoo!” Jongin steps forward, pulling Kyungsoo into a hug before the other can react. Kyungsoo’s look of general confusion get’s a laugh from Chanyeol, even as it forms into something like acceptance, instead.

“Why is this my life?”

“You didn’t miss us?” Chanyeol asks, mocking hurt.

“Not you specifically.” But there’s no force to the words. Kyungsoo’s expression betrays how unsure he is of his own words- his own reactions- as some of his memory resurfaces.

“Ouch.” Baekhyun laughs.

“This…” Zitao pauses. “This seems about right.”

“How many of are there?” Jongin.

“There… should be two more?” Yixing.

“There were ten?” Zitao.

“I thought…” Sehun shakes his head. “No. I don’t know.”

“Ten seems like a reasonable number.” Jongdae.

“I thought it was twelve?” Kyungsoo.

“Why twelve?” Chanyeol. “Then again, why ten?”

“Two of us-” Sehun shakes his head.

_“Two are trapped, Sehun.”_ The words echo around in Sehun’s head.

“Two are what?” Baekhyun.

“Two are… trapped? Then there are ten of us.”

“But why those two?” Jongin. He frowns, and Sehun rubs his temples. “I can’t think of who they are, but why only those two?”

“If we find them, maybe we can find out.” Zitao.

“I don’t know where they are, though,” Sehun says, breathing a sigh.

“Great, so what do we do now?”

“I don’t know.”

_“You have to help them.”_


	4. Trapped I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Searches for those, "trapped," begin.  
The one memory that returns to Minseok comes with a terrible realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the final rewrite chapter. after this, it's all new!

“So,” Kyungsoo starts, looking at the rest of the group. “We still don’t know where the two who are _trapped_ are.”

“What?” Chanyeol mutters.

“Based on Sehun’s- uh- feelings about some places we tried, we could narrow it down to some general areas. But those are pretty big places to search, and we can’t seem to get any more specific. Trust me, those two-” Kyungsoo motions to Jongin and Sehun- “have tried. We’re not in a rush, though, so we just have to search the areas ourselves. Clearly if we see each other, we’ll know.”

“You three did a lot of work, huh?” Jongdae asks. Kyungsoo had been the one mapping out all of Jongin and Sehun’s travels, while the others tried to collect their returning memories. Comparing them with each other.

“Speaking of work!” Baekhyun chimes, standing up and walking to stand next to Kyungsoo. Then he motions Kyungsoo to sit down with the others, which he does after a moment.

“Did you do something?” Jongin asks.

“Well! Some of you don’t remember your powers, right? So I did some research and found out we- or areas we lived in- had some interesting news articles, years back.”

“I’m just impressed you did research,” Zitao says. He shrugs when Baekhyun turns to glare at him. “So?”

“Oh, right.” Baekhyun clears his throat. “Around my fifteenth birthday, people reported seeing unexplained lights in the middle of the night. So I thought there were probably incidents like that for at _least_ some of you, right? After some digging, I found some.”

“Okay?”

“Around Yixing’s- um- fourteenth? Fourteenth birthday. A kid that was supposed to be terminal recovered with no explanation. Still nobody knows what happened. I’m not saying it was him- because we don’t know his powers- but, I mean, it could be?”

“You do seem the type to be a healer,” Jongdae says, facing Yixing.

“Thank you?” Yixing smiles.

“So that’s why you asked where we grew up?” Jongdae turns back to Baekhyun, who nods.

“And! Around Jongdae’s seventeenth birthday, there was a big lightning storm, and his building started having power outages for seemingly no reason for the next few years. Also, Chanyeol burnt his school down.”

“You burnt down your school?!” Sehun turns to Chanyeol, who looks away.

“I probably didn’t mean to?”

“Even though the area isn’t know for having any, ever, Kyungsoo’s home town had a big earthquake when he was- like- sixteen?” Baekhyun continues, ignoring the others. “All I could find for Zitao was competition stuff, sorry.”

“I should have figured,” Zitao says, breathing a sigh.

“Jongin disappeared and was found in a park without knowing how he got there, and we know that was teleportion.”

“So that leaves the youngest,” Jongin says. He looks to Sehun, who looks away.

“We don’t know for _sure_ I’m the youngest.”

“Well.” Baekhyun regain their attention. “There was a huge wind storm, around his sixteenth birthday.”

“So wind, probably.” Sehun nods.

“Should we ask why you know all of your birthdays?” Kyungsoo asks, frowning at Baekhyun.

“I- uh- I don’t know either. I just remembered them.”

“Oh.”

“So,” Zitao gets their attention. “Kyungsoo is probably earth, Jongdae something with electricity, Yixing maybe healing?"

“Hey, guys. Weren’t we supposed to be discussing finding the other two?”

“Oh, right.”

Minseok sighs as he makes his way up the steps to his apartment. He ignores his neighbor, as he passes them, and stares at the steps until he makes it to his home. Stares into the apartment for a minutes, before he finally enters. It’s empty, badly kept, and he feels like the mess should bother him. It doesn't.

Minseok drops his bag by the door, and drops onto his couch, turning on his TV. There’s only static, and he breathes another sigh. Moves to stand and try to fix it.

_“Minseok.”_

“Why always static?” Minseok mutters, standing up.

_“Ha- ppy- birth- day-”_

“Why wont it stop?” Minseok kicks his TV. The static gets louder.

_“Let the…kids………have………”_

“Stop it!” He hits it again, the static gets louder again. Minseok grabs his head, trying to block out the sound. It echos loudly in his head, despite his effort. His chest hurts. His head hurts. It hurts. Why wont it stop?

_“We’re best friends!”_

_“Are you okay?”_

_“Minseok?”_

_“Be.”_

_“Careful.”_

“STOP!” Minseok kicks the TV until it falls off of its stand. The static stops as the TV breaks, glass from its screen shattering onto the ground. Panting, Minseok grips his chest, feeling his anger fade and be replaced with anxiety. Why had he been so angry about the static?

Why was it so loud?

Minseok turns, and runs out of his apartment.

“Berlin, area five. Any luck this time, Sehun?” Yixing asks, turning to him. Sehun frowns, looking around them. This is the fifth section they’ve checked within one of the areas he’d narrowed it down to.

“I-” Someone rushes past them. Sehun turns, watches the other run for a moment, frozen. And then he moves. “Him!”

The group gives chase, Sehun at the front.

“Wait! Hey, you!”

“What?!” He turns, short of breath, clutching his chest. Looks afraid. “Who are- what do you want?”

“You… do you remember us?”

“Should I?”

“Sehun are you sure-” Jongin’s words are cut off by Jongdae pushing his way to the front of the group.

“Minseok!” Jongdae meets the others eyes, looking for some sort of recognition. “Minseok, do you remember-”

“How do you know my name?”

“Listen- we-”

“Who are you?”

“Minseok, we-”

Minseok shakes his head. “Leave me alone.” Minseok turns around, running before any of them can stop him. None of them move, too startled, not knowing what to do.

“Um- well- that didn’t go how I expected it to?” Chanyeol sighs. “Was he always like that?”

“We all… knew we should remember each other, right? Even if we didn’t, we knew we were supposed to, when we saw each other, right? But he… didn’t recognize us at all,” Yixing notes.

“Well,” Jongin starts, “he came out of that building, behind us. Maybe we can wait for him to get back there?”

Minseok sighs, dropping on his couch. The broken remains of his TV are gone, now. He had returned- after running until he felt ready to collapse- and gotten rid of it in a daze. Now he just feels exhausted, wanting nothing more than to be calm for the day.

“Um.”

Minseok jumps, startled. “How did you get into my house?!” Minseok screams, staring at the group from before. Now in his house. How did they get in? Had he forgotten to lock his door? And _why?_

“I told you he would freak out,” one of them- the one who said his name, before- whispers to another. He nods in agreement.

“Chanyeol, it’s time.” Another says, pushing one of them forward.

“Really?” Chanyeol, presumably, lights up. Then he turns back to Minseok, who silently wonders if he can reach his door before they can reach him, if he runs. “So, Minseok, about super powers-”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Minseok glares. The group shares looks of worry.

“Man, Minseok,” The one who said his name, before, speaks again. Overly familiar, in a way that Minseok thinks should make him uncomfortable. “This place is a mess.”

“What?” For some reason the words hit him, harshly.

“I can’t believe you, of all people, live like this.”

“Shut your mouth Jongdae-” Minseok stops- “who?” Minseok shakes his head, feeling like the static is back, despite his TV being gone.

“That… actually worked? That was what got through to you, of all things?”

Somehow, they’ve ended up sitting on Minseok’s floor. All of them, Minseok included, though he still remains opposite everyone else. “So… do you remember anything?”

“None of you.” Minseok sighs, looking away from the group. Even after their explanations, he still seems wary. “If I hadn’t said _that_ earlier, I wouldn’t be listening to you right now.”

“So you don’t know how many of us there are?”

“No? But- I think- there are definitely people missing.” Minseok freezes, looking over the group. Seems to come to some realization. “How many people do you think are still missing?”

“One, at least,” Sehun says. “But Kyungsoo seems to think there might be more than that.”

“So you don’t know if-” Minseok stops himself. Shakes his head, and places his hands over his ears. The others share looks of concern, before Minseok looks up at them. “So you don’t know if Luhan is okay?”

“Who?” Yixing whispers. The name feels like he should recognize it, but he shakes his head.

“What do you mean _who_? Luhan was the first person _you_ met.” Minseok glares at Yixing. Then, slowly, his expression turns to one of confusion. “Why…do I know that?”

“Um, Sehun?” Jongin’s voice draws their attention to Sehun, and at once they realize why he’d spoken. “Are you crying?”

“I-”

“What’s wrong?” Zitao asks, placing a hand on Sehun’s shoulder. His attempts at comfort get little reaction.

“I think- he’s- I think he’s dead.” Sehun’s breaths are shaky, but he’s the only one who moves. “I forgot. I didn’t remember him at all. But Minseok talking about him- I think- I think Luhan is dead.”

It’s silent. Nobody knows what to do, or what to say. Share looks of equal parts horror and confusion as they attempt to process this. How could one of them be _dead?_ Someone they were friends with, someone they only _just_ remembered?

“That can’t be true!” Yixing jumps to his feet. “We couldn't have- how could we forget one of our friends _dying_?!”

“There’s no way Luhan-” Minseok shakes his head, shaking. How could the only person _he_ remembered be dead?

“We have to hurry and find whoever is left.” Jongin leans into the nearest person next to him- Kyungsoo. “We can’t- I can’t-”

“Yeah. We need to-” Baekhyun clears his throat, holding back tears. Tries to voice any of his thoughts, properly. “We need to…”

“This can’t be real.” Chanyeol leans into Jongdae, who remains blankly staring at the floor.

They decided to take a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is it really messed up that i killed the members who left in this story? probably.  
i still love them i just don't really remember how to write them, but I also remember that I didn't want to just pretend they didn't exist. especially bc this was meant to be connected to the other story in the series (even though it was terrible and no one should read it)


	5. Trapped II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They find the final member of their group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we in it now, new stuff.

_“Happy birthday, Minseok.” Luhan’s voice echos through their shared apartment. Minseok laughs, thanking him, as he turns._

_“You know-” they’re in an abandoned building. Surrounded by _something_ that wants rid of them. Luhan helps another stand, while Minseok holds off their enemies- “this is bad.”_

_“It’ll be-” they’re in a forest, years later. Their enemies are approaching quickly, but out of sight- “I thought we were done with this.”_

_“We _should_ be.” Minseok breaths a sigh. “but we just need to do what we’ve already done.”_

_“You’re right-” Luhan is on the ground, there’s too much blood. Way too much blood. His breathing is light- “Minseok.”_

_“Stop talking.”_

_“We should have... asked the Tree of Life. If… there’s an afterlife.”_

Minseok wakes in a cold sweat. The area around him has been covered in frost- that much, he’s remembered, is due to his power- and for a moment he’s confused. Then he remembers. He’s in his home, but so are the _others_. It’s been days, but he still can’t remember more than their names.

As time goes on, they seem to remember more. About each other. About their enemies. About _events_ that passed, that they shared together. Minseok still only remembers Luhan. Still only remembers the one of them they know is dead.

He remembers that now, too. Sometimes- all the time- he wishes he didn’t.

“You’re up,” Jongdae’s voice draws Minseok out of his thoughts. Jongdae sits besides Minseok’s futon- on the floor next to it- and doesn’t look at him. “You okay?”

“Am I supposed to be?” Minseok’s voice is bitter, but Jongdae laughs. Looks away, further, and laughs without any real amusement.

“No.”

“When we met, originally, do you remember that?” Minseok’s voice is quieter than even he expects it to be. Jongdae nods.

“Six of us met first, while the other six met each other, and the two groups met later. I showed up with five of the others at your and- and Luhan’s doorstep, and we told you what we knew about our powers. It’s still… vague. But I know it happened, even if I cant quite remember it.”

He knows it happened. Minseok wished he could feel that sure about anything related to their situation. “What happens, when we find whoever is missing?”

“I don’t know.” Jongdae shrugs. Turns to Minseok, and tries to joke, “that’s something you’d be better off asking Sehun.”

“Putting responsibility onto the kid? How cruel.”

Junmyeon wakes early in the morning, for seemingly no reason. There’s this inescapable feeling that he’s _suffocating _in his gut, that makes him open his window. When that doesn’t work, he makes it way outside. Walks through the wooded area around his home, for a while, before stumbling back towards the building.

Calling it _his home_ is a bit strong, though. It isn’t as if it actually belongs to him. The building is old, worn, starting to become overgrown. He can’t quite remember the exact arrangement, but he’d made a deal with someone to stay in the place a while.

For a while, he thought this was fine. Lately he feels more and more like he’s not supposed to be here. He looks up- at the windows of the house- at his reflection, and frowns. Something’s not quite right. It’s not his messy appearance- he had woken up without getting ready for the day- but something else. Something about his expression. He looks away.

Junmyeon walks around the home, tries to breathe. Feels like something about this place is wrong. It must be the pipes. They don’t work, still. He doesn’t want to fix them, still. Junmyeon finds himself standing next the the pool. Empty- unused, dirty- and long since abandoned. He drops himself down into it, from the shallow end. Makes his way across it, and sits against the side of it.

Imagines, for a second, that it was filled with water. As he sits there, on the bottom of the deep end, and for some reason, that thought doesn’t scare him.

He feels like he could be okay, if he did.

There’s a creaking noise, he looks up, and all at once: water.

They haven’t gotten anywhere. Yet. Sehun keeps saying that the more they search, the more possibilities they eliminate, but everyone is growing weary. The thing is - they’ve all realized- that he just doesn’t want to stop. To take a break, and rethink their method of searching. If he stops, he’ll have to think. To think about what they’ve learned, since finding Minseok. About what they haven’t.

_“It’s like you don’t remember us at all, Sehun.”_ Sehun closes his eyes, remembers the visions of children. They weren’t real, he realizes that. His memories twisting to try and force him to remember. The influence of the Tree of Life, maybe. He remembers it, more, now. Its ability to speak, that it gifted them pieces of its power to fight, but…

He’s missing a lot, too. The faces of the kids should be familiar. One of them is, now. He’s afraid of what it means, if one the the kids faces belonged to Luhan- distorted to be younger, but his none the less- then what about the other? Who did it belong to? And if anyone, what happened to them?

So Sehun keeps searching for the other they know is trapped, because at least _they_ can’t be dead.

“That’s- that’s a _forest,_ Sehun.” Kyungsoo’s words don’t deter Sehun any.

“Yes, but it’s the only place left in this area we haven’t searched.”

“How do you expect us to find anyone if they _are_ there?” Jongin asks, with an amount of genuine confusion. Sehun breathes a sigh.

“There are nine of us. We can split up, and-”

“And get lost. You’re the only one who can _feel_ the others, we wont have any reaction until we see him,” Zitao points out.

“Minseok might not even have that much.”

“Thanks.” Minseok rolls his eyes, but Jongdae next to him only shrugs.

“Fine. I’ll search it myself, I guess.” Sehun turns to Jongin, holding out a hand expectantly. The other remains still. “I can’t get there myself.”

“Um…” Jongin turns to the others, and breathes a small- relieved- sigh when Yixing stands.

“I’ll help you look. If we find anyone out there at all, we’ll probably find who we’re looking for.”

Slowly, but surely, everyone else agrees. They grab onto each other, and Jongin brings them into the forest in question. They split up in different directions, searching for someone they don’t yet remember.

It’s just Minseok’s luck, he thinks, when he finds the building. It look abandoned, and he’s filled with a sense of unease not proportionate to this fact. Simultaneously the place feels _horrifying,_ and exactly the same as his own home. Minseok moves forward, walking around the building, first. That’s where he finds the pool- empty except one person. The person sitting at the end stares at the pool’s floor, seemingly lost in thought.

Minseok hadn’t recognized the others, at first. Still barely remembers their names. It’s only because he said a name without realizing it that he originally listened to them. He remembers more now- enough to believe them- but nothing about them.

But he recognizes Junmyeon immediately. Steps forward, just as the pipes under him- connected to the pool- creak. Then the pool starts to flood with water, and he panics.

Steps forward, and jumps into the pool- the center of it, between Junmyeon and the water- and turns to the flood of water without thinking. Things move too quickly, but not remembering apparently doesn’t remove his ability to use his power. The water freezes in place, there, threatening to crash over them.

“What…was that?” And Junmyeon speaks. His voice draws Minseok’s attention, and they stare at each other for a moment.

“Junmyeon?”

“Minseok?”

“Do you remember me?”

“I- I just remember your name.”

“Good enough.”

They fill Junmyeon in, over the course of a few hours, as Jongin finds the others and brings them to the building. Minseok doesn’t like the place, but Junmyeon seems too uneasy to leave. Which he understands.

While the explanation _sounds_ outlandish, Junmyeon nods along with it. It might be easier for him, to believe them, when he’s seen Jongin teleport, and seen Minseok freeze water solid in a second. (It’s still frozen, outside.) He let’s them explain, uninterrupted, until they’ve finished.

Then, finally, Junmyeon speaks. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Chanyeol asks, incredulous.

“Okay,” Junmyeon repeats. He nods- to them or to himself they aren’t sure- and repeats himself a third time.

“So you believe us?” Sehun asks. Junmyeon seems to consider this.

“I think so.”

“Okay…” Baekhyun draws the word out, then goes silent. They all go silent. Until, finally, Zitao speaks.

“Do you remember us?”

“No.” Junmyeon shakes his head, apologetic. Minseok pats his shoulder, understanding.

“Do you remember anyone… who isn’t here?” Zitao speaks again.

“Like… that I think is a part of this?”

“Yeah.”

“I-” Junmyeon’s expression shifts. All at once, he looks pained. Reaches up to hold his head, shaking it. “I think- yes?”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m…fine.” Junmyeon shakes his head again, and lifts it. Drops his hands, and breathes a sigh. “Yifan.”

“Huh?”

“I remember-”

“Yifan,” Zitao repeats. Then, he looks down at his hands. “You remember Kris.”

The moment is too familiar. Minseok feels it before anyone speaks. Feels it before the reactions of disbelief and horror pass between them. Before Sehun stands, suddenly, and rushes from the room, confirming it to them.

The two who couldn’t remember anyone around them, remember one person each. Of course their situations would be the same.

Why _wouldn’t_ they be?


	6. Red Forces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their enemies used to be something they were barely afraid of.  
Now they're unning from them out of genuine fear.

The _Red Forces._ Their enemies; out to destroy life. It’s such a… simple thing. Something a children’s cartoon might have. And yet it wasn’t that. It wasn’t so simple. They- the Red Forces- had evolved. From monsters made of smoke, hunting them down when they were barely adults- or not even adults- to something much, much worse.

See Sehun remembers what they used to be like. Has started to remember a lot. When he was a kid- sixteen, and on a mission given to him by the Tree of Life- he saw them. Fought them, alongside the others. Remembers what the Red Forces were like. Shape-shifting monsters that appeared to be made of smoke- though they were more solid, when you came into contact with them- that chased them down relentlessly, but not with any amount of intelligence.

Simple plans of attack, or capture, that they- Sehun, and the others- dealt with really well. They learned to fight, with their powers, and found that overusing their powers was a bigger threat than most of the Red Forces. There were exceptions- the leader, the biggest of them, that they had to trap with the Tree of Life to take care of- but mostly, it was fine.

They weren’t a threat, even if they were scary. Sehun honestly remembers feeling frustrated more often than scared.

When Sehun was sixteen, the Red Forces were sealed away. Kept out of their plane of existence by the Tree of Life, or so the Tree told Sehun in his dreams. They all thought the Red Forces would no longer be a threat. Or, if they were, that they wouldn’t be one until long, long time in the future.

Maybe Sehun and the others would be old, or maybe it would be so long they would be dead. Replaced by new holders of the Tree’s power.

They were wrong.

The Red Forces returned. They evolved. From monsters, to beings able to easily blend in with humanity. From nearly thoughtless creatures, to plotting forces. Out to get rid of those who could stop them. They became a threat, and returned suddenly, without warning.

_“We can’t keep this up!” Yifan says, turning to look over the group. Sehun helps Jongin stand, while Junmyeon protects them. Jongin’s long since exhausted himself, Sehun isn’t much better. Yifan turns back to their enemies- the number of forces is too much, even if these were the old Red Forces, and now it’s worse- and then back to the group. “Jongin, can you teleport one more time?”_

_“I- yes?” But they’ll just follow, they think. They have nowhere to go, now, that the Red Forces don’t already know about. Wont find them._

_“Kris-” Junmyeon starts, only for the other to cut him off by shaking his head._

_“I know. I’ll…stay here.”_

_“Not by yourself, you wont.”_

_“Then what do you-”_

_“I’ll stay, too. Jongin, I’m sorry, but please get everyone out of here.”_

_“Okay.”_

Sehun hadn’t had any chance to argue for a different plan, or to do anything different. Hadn’t had a chance to change anything. The Red Forces knew that killing them, themselves, was a bad idea. Their power would just return to the Tree of Life, who could just send it elsewhere. Only trapping them, or getting them to exhaust their powers, would be to their benefit.

They relied on this. Knew that as long as they didn’t overuse their powers, it was unlikely they’d be killed.

_Junmyeon returns a mess, and by himself, and everything breaks down._

Expectations, confidence; it was gone. When they were forced to run- scatter- from more enemies without getting a chance to talk about it, Sehun had been scared of their enemies for the first time.

_When they're captured, Minseok is brought in covered in blood that isn’t his, unwilling to look at the others. Sehun knows what happened._

And when Sehun woke up, at home, unable to remember anything, he had no idea they had lost.

Until now.

Sehun stands at the edge of the forest, shaking. The wind picks up, and he tries to reign his power in, though he barely remembers how to use it. Of everyone, he doesn’t expect the person to approach him to be Junmyeon, if only because the other doesn’t remember Sehun. Doesn’t remember anyone except the person he watched die, and Minseok maybe.

“Are you okay?”

“We lost,” Sehun says, simply. “We lost, and the Red Forces got what they wanted; us out of the way.”

“But we… are here now.”

“But what can we do?!” Sehun turns around, vision blurry from unshed tears. “You and Minseok barely remember anything. The rest of us are just starting to remember. And if we were purposefully separated they probably know we’ve been finding each other! They- what if-”

“Sehun.” His voice is calm, as he lays a hand on Sehun’s shoulder. Sehun stares at it, instead of at Junmyeon. “How are they going to keep track of us, if we leave?”

“Where would we even go?”

“I don’t know-”

“See.”

“And if we don’t even know where we’re going, how will they?” Junmyeon offers Sehun a smile. “How are they going to follow a group that can teleport, if they go somewhere at random?”

“You…you’re going along with this? You don’t even _remember_ us.”

“I don’t.” Junmyeon nods. “But I remember Yifan, and so do you. And I’ve seen some weird shit today, honestly, so I believe what you’ve told me. I’ll trust you, kid.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“Oh, no?” Junmyeon laughs, and Sehun finds himself laughing, too, despite everything else.

“No. I’m a full grown adult, thanks.”

They decide on a few rules, for their travel. Firstly: they can’t use their phones or bank accounts, as those would be easy for the Red Forces to find them via. Secondly: they cant contact anyone from their pasts, as that would be too obvious. Third: obviously they can’t go anywhere they’ve lived.

With rules set, they start their series of random teleportations, until they end up in a small camp site. A few stolen tents- from a different country, just in case- later, and they’re set for the next few days. Choose sleeping arrangements, choose watch shifts just in case, and try to figure out what they’re going to do next. They can only stay on the run for so long.

See the thing about being on the run is, they can’t exactly fight the Red Forces while running from them. And, to that point, they don’t know how much time they actually have, before the Red Forces do… whatever it is they’re trying to do. Destroy all life on earth? Destroy all life in their dimension? While the Red Forces had quickly tried to do that, the first time they faced them, they had a lot of time between arriving on earth, and when they faced the Tree’s chosen ones. Who knows how long that was, exactly, but even if they had to start all over when they were freed, it was possible their progress was quicker this time.

So, Zitao thinks, they have to do something about the Red Forces. They can’t just keep running, no matter how scared they are of what will happen if they’re found. Which is why he brings it up.

“We should try to find the Tree.”

“The Tree of Life?” Yixing asks, as he sets up their campfire. Something which, Zitao thinks, should probably be Chanyeol’s job.

“Yeah. We can’t just run forever.”

“You have a point.” Yixing nods. “We don’t know where it is, though. If it even still has a physical form, here.”

It used to. Zitao remembers that, now. A large tree, bigger than a building, with roots reaching far beyond it. He thinks, maybe, he remembers where that was, but could they risk going to check? If they did, will it even be there? If it is, why can’t it’s voice reach them, anymore?

“Do you remember where it was, before?” Jongin asks, dropping down next to Zitao on the ground. Their tents must be set up. Zitao gives a small nod, and Jongin hums. “Want me to check, then?”

“By yourself?” Yixing turns to Jongin, who shrugs. Zitao frowns.

“That’s a terrible idea. If something is there- if something _else_ is there- that could get you killed. Or worse.”

“Then... maybe not by myself.”

“What are you not doing by yourself?” Baekhyun’s voice reaches them before Zitao sees the other. Approaching with more firewood. He drops the wood down a short distance from the campfire, and turns to Jongin, who shrugs.

“Checking if the Tree is still where it used to be.”

“Isn’t that- quote- going somewhere we used to live.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah didn’t we-” Baekhyun cuts himself off, frowning. But Zitao nods, realizing he’s right. For a short time, they’d stayed- lived- nearby the Tree, to avoid the Red Forces. This was when they were younger, the first time they’d fought the Red Forces. Back when Zitao was more worried about getting himself killed, than being killed by the enemy. More scared of bugs invading their campsite than the Red Forces.

“You’re right, but if it’s still there, then I doubt the Red Forces are. Even if they know where it is.”

Which they must, but that’s beside the point. Zitao watches Baekhyun nod, then turn to Jongin.

“I’ll go with you,” Baekhyun offers, just as Zitao says, “we can both go.”

“You two sure about that?” Jongin asks, standing. “We aren’t exactly asking everyone for their thoughts on that. They might be mad.”

“That’s fine.” Baekhyun shrugs.

“Yeah.” Zitao nods.

“We wont go directly there, or directly back. Effectively doing the same thing we did to get here in the first place, so it can’t hurt anything.” Jongin holds out his hands, and the others each grab onto one. “Yixing, sorry to ask you, but can you tell the others, if they get back before we do?”

“Okay.” Yixing gives a small nod. “Stay safe.”

They teleport to the top of a building, first, where Zitao relays the location of the Tree’s form. And then they’re there. In front of the Tree of Life. For a second, Zitao thinks that’s it. They’ve done it, this is fine. But then he really looks. Hears Baekhyun’s gasps, and Jongin’s muttered curse. It’s in bad condition, to say the least. Zitao isn’t sure it’s _alive_, in as much as a Tree usually would be. It must still exist- they’ve heard it’s voice, in small moments- but that doesn’t mean much when its physical form is in such a condition. When they can’t contact it.

Zitao takes a step forward- filled with an unnecessary amount of fear- and places a hand to it.

_“Zitao.”_ He startles, taking a step back. The Tree’s voice. He moves quickly to put his hand back to it._ “Sorry.”_

“You’re…the Tree of Life?”

_“Yes.”_

“Um, Zitao?” Jongin asks, reminding him the other two are there. Zitao quickly motions them over, and they copy him. Hand placed against the tree. “Does this mean… it’s alive?”

_“My physical form is not.”_

“But you can talk to us?”

_“Yes. I’m still connected to it. Were I able to return to it, I would be able to fix it.”_

“But you can’t do that, because?” Baekhyun asks, staring up at the branches of the tree.

_“Red Forces.”_

“Oh, for course.”

_“They’re surrounding it. You.”_

“Wait- shit- you couldn’t have told us that sooner?” Zitao spins around, but sees nothing. Jongin grabs his arm, and begins to reach for Baekhyun. The other takes a step away, hands still on the tree, the only one of them.

“Baekhyun-”

“Hold on!”

“But-”

“Okay.” Then Baekhyun moves forward, grabbing Zitao- because he’s closer- and they’re gone. First into a city they don’t recognize. Then near a river. Then they’re back at the campsite. Then Junmyeon is smacking Zitao upside the head- then the others- and telling them how _stupid_ they are.

“Ow?”

“What’s wrong with you three! What if you had been attacked?”

“But we got information!” Baekhyun steps forward, while Zitao looks away. Junmyeon is right. What if they _had_ been attacked? They easily could have been, while there, and they wouldn’t have been prepared for it. Zitao still doesn’t remember what his power even _is_ let alone how useful it would be in a fight.

“Information?”

Baekhyun relays the information all three of them know, before relaying information that only he had heard. “The Tree said there’s a reason it’s unable to return to its physical form, and if we get _rid of that_, it’ll be back.”

“Not to- uh- be that person, but is that a priority?”

“It said it can unto whatever the Red Forces did to our memory.”

“Alright, then, what’s the plan?” Minseok asks, immediately.


	7. Mission I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that they have a goal, they waste no time.  
But they may just loose something in the process.

The Red Forces have a base. Multiple, actually, but one nearby the Tree of Life’s physical form. One where they’ve built a device that blocks the Tree of Life from returning to their plane. However that works, the group figures they don’t really need to understand. What they do understand is that getting rid of that is the key to fully restoring their memories. Specifically, the memories of the two who so far have been unable to regain most of theirs.

So they need a plan. Those who do remember their powers- Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Minseok, Jongin, Sehun, and Kyungsoo- are paired with those who don’t, and each other. The plan can only make use of the powers and abilities they know of each other, so they keep it simple.

Zitao can fight even without his still unknown power, and Baekhyun’s power isn’t exactly perfect for a fight. So those two are paired together. Jongdae admits to not having anything notable to make use of, so he’s paired with Chanyeol, who has the most obviously dangerous ability. Junmyeon is close to remembering his power, or so he says, but mostly he’s paired with Minseok due to their shared memory problems. Yixing is the last without memories of his power, so he’s paired with Sehun because the other has more control over the nature of his power than Kyungsoo does. So the final two- both with powers- are paired together, making Jongin and Kyungsoo the final pair.

Then, they need an actual plan of attack. One which Chanyeol is happy to provide. “Well, we’ve been running, so they probably wouldn’t expect us to just up and full-force attack, right? We rush in with our powers, cause as much destruction as possible, and then run.”

Which isn’t a real plan. But it’s also what they decide to go with, anyway, because the more complicated the plan, the more chances for it to fail there are. Minseok sums this up, simply. “It’s better we leave room for improvising, instead of having a plan that falls apart if anything unexpected happens.”

So they’re set.

Teleporting directly in isn’t an option. Which shouldn’t surprise most of them; there are vague memories about the Red Forces being able to prevent that specific thing, even back at the very beginning. They assume- as was true back then- that teleporting out of and around the place is possible, just not directly into it. Under this assumption, they arrive around the place- pairs being left at different parts- to start.

The place happens to be the ruins of a building. Even from the outside, they can see that there’s more than one hole in the ground, leading to a bricked path. Presumably there’s more built underground. Whether a building, or just paths, they must lead somewhere. And, wherever they lead is to their goal.

There are four entrances- four ways underground- and with a total of five groups they decide the best option is to leave one pair outside. After much debate, this ends up being Yixing and Sehun.

The brick paths are dark, but for three of the pairs, this isn’t much of a problem. Chanyeol’s flames provide plenty of light, and Baekhyun’s power _is_ light, so they take point in their respective pairs, leading the way. In the case of Jongin and Kyungsoo, the latter can feel the shape of the brick path, by the way the ground surrounding it feels. It’s vague, but enough that they aren’t running into walls, when corners hit. Junmyeon and Minseok have a harder time with it, but by keeping a hand to the wall, they find their way down the path.

Until all four of the pairs reach the more well-lit, open, room at the end of all of these paths. It’s lit by lamps on the walls, and a table emitting light at the center. They share looks- some of surprise at each other, some of concern about the table- before any of them move. Finally Jongdae is the one to step forward. Reaches out to the table, and barely jumps when it changes before he can touch anything. The light shifts, and images appear. Projections, from the table, that don’t make much sense.

“What do those mean?” There are shapes- symbols- as well as what _might_ be a representation of the Tree of Life.

“Is this… what we’re looking for?” All eyes turn to the only one who might have an answer, Baekhyun. He slowly approaches it, slowly, looking over it. Then he puts one of his hands on it, and the images change. Something slightly more clear, in it’s meaning. A representation of the Tree, as well as what’s blocking it out of their plane. A box-like device. Baekhyun reaches out to touch the image of it, and that’s when things go wrong.

Jongdae pulls Baekhyun back, when it lights up red, just before something above them- unseen, until then- slams down onto the table. It would have crushed his arm, if Jongdae’s reaction was a second slower.

Then the paths they arrived from collapse, leaving the group trapped in the room, as the lights go out. Everyone remains still, for a moment, before confirming the floor isn’t falling in on them.

“Should I light a fire, or-”

“No, we might run out of oxygen.” Junmyeon’s words cut Chanyeol off, and send worry through the group.

“We- we can get out of here, right?” Zitao asks, voice shaking. The room fills with light, a second later- provided by Baekhyun’s power- allowing them to see that they are, in fact, trapped.

“Jongin?” Kyungsoo asks, turning to the other. He shakes his head.

“If I can leave, I wont be able to get back in. So we shouldn’t try unless…”

“Unless we’re sure we’re done here,” Junmyeon finishes, for him. “What we’re looking for _is_ here somewhere.”

“But-” Zitao cuts himself off with a shake of his head. “Where are we supposed to look?”

“Maybe there’s something further bellow us?” Minseok asks. All eyes turn to Kyungsoo, who lowers himself to put a hand to the floor. After a moment of complete silence, he nods to himself.

“You’re right. There’s an even bigger space bellow us.”

Chanyeol mutters something about Kyungsoo being an earth bender, while Junmyeon speaks to the group. “Alright, we should look into that, then. What we’re looking for is probably down there.”

“And probably surrounded,” Jongdae says. “They have to know we’re here, now.”

“So we’ll be prepared.” Junmyeon crosses his arms, humming in thought. “Whoever can’t fight in your pair, stand near the center of the room. With the other in front of you.”

“So we’re going to fight?” Minseok asks. Junmyeon nods, barely visible in the low light. “Okay, well…”

When the paths leading underground collapse, Yixing gives a startled shout and Sehun rushes forward. But there isn’t much either of them can do.

And then they feel, before they hear, footsteps approaching.

“What do we do?” Sehun whispers to Yixing, grabbing his arm. Yixing turns to him, startled at being asked to decided, then back to the collapsed tunnels. Then back to Sehun, and then to the sound of footsteps approaching. If they can so clearly _feel_ who- whatever is approaching, then it must be Red Forces. So there’s only one thing they can do.

“We have to run- hide.”

“But the others-”

“Are down there. The Red Forces can’t reach them from here, at least, either.”

“We’re the ones in danger,” Sehun says, understanding despite his hesitance. “Okay.”

So they run. Their own footsteps hidden by the _convenient_ sounds of wind Sehun causes. Don’t stop until they, themselves, can no longer hear footsteps behind them, and hide in the forest unsure what to do.

The floor under them collapses, sending them falling into the room beneath them. The low light makes the fall all the more difficult to land, so it’s no surprise when one or more of them land incorrectly. There’s no time to stop, though. As light fills the area, the shapes of their enemies become immediately obvious. Human like- but somehow _wrong_\- one takes a swing at Zitao. Zitao manages to stumble back, out of the way of the swing, as he tries to ignore the pain shooting through his legs from the fall.

The object- device- is behind him. Behind all of them, at the center of the room. It’s box-like, about as tall as a person, and has rounded corners. A low hum is coming from it, it glows a red that doesn’t provide enough light for them to see in. Which is fine, they find. Quickly the room is filled by another light, as Chanyeol- despite any hesitance their human appearances gives him- creates and throws fire at their enemies. The flickering light from that- and Baekhyun at the center of the room creating a bright light- gives Zitao enough light to fight.

Jongdae, Junmyeon, and Minseok seem dedicated to trying to destroy the device. The former two picking up broken bricks from the floor they broke through, while the latter freezes water in the air into spikes.

Jongin takes to teleporting between those not fighting, moving them out of the way of enemies, and then moving to do the same to others. While Zitao and Kyungsoo fight their enemies. The latter using his power- earth breaking through the brick room- and mostly focusing on the enemies going after those dealing with the device. Zitao finds himself mostly defending himself.

While those who have their powers haven’t _remembered_ having them long, they use them like it’s second nature. As if they never forgot.

_All at once, everything stops. One second Zitao is trying to protect both himself an the others as well as he can. One second he’s realizing- horribly- that no matter how much he slows things, he’s still not capable of keeping up with every single thing going on in that moment. One second too many things go wrong at once._

_And then everything stops. For the first time, instead of slowing, time freezes._

_And all at once, his head pounds horribly. He feels sick to his stomach, but he pushes that aside because time is frozen, and it’s his only chance. He ignores his body’s protests in favour of moving the others. One by one- as quickly as he can- Zitao moves them away from the battle, just far enough that they can run, when time restarts._

_Then time is moving again, and everyone’s confusion get’s lost in Zitao’s haze. He runs, when one of them- Sehun, he thinks- grabs him, pulling him forward. He struggles to stay awake, and passes out as soon as they’re safe._

All at once, Zitao’s head fills with memories of his power. There’s a loud crashing sound behind him, followed by a static noise, and he spins around. The group has made a large hole in the device, though it doesn’t seem to have fully given up yet. He turns back, realizing he can’t just ignore their enemies, when realization hits him. Everything is moving so much slower.

For the first time in years, Zitao doesn’t feel like he’s too slow. Like the world is moving too fast. Almost forgetting where they are, Zitao lets out an excited shout, before leisurely moving out of the way of one of the human-like form of the Red Forces swinging a brick at him. And then his head pounds in protest of him using his power, and he stumbles.

There’s a explosion. It shakes the entire area around the building, and even Sehun and Yixing, far away, feel it.

“Shit- what was that?!”

“Should we… check?”

Zitao can only slow time if he processes quickly enough that he needs to. When he back ups to avoid a punch to the face, right into Baekhyun, he doesn’t really think about it. The other steps away from him- away from the device at the center of the room- and tells him to be careful. It’s fine.

And then there’s an explosion behind him, and he hits the ground before he realizes it.

When Zitao wakes, he’s outside. Being dragged by Baekhyun, while the others fight. For a second he wonders why they aren’t being teleported away, but then he spots Jongin. Bleeding head, set against a tree, and being defended by Sehun while Yixing tries to wake him.

Zitao’s head spins, when he tries to stand. He shakes it, barely able to hear Baekhyun next to him, and completely unable to process his words. Junmyeon, Minseok, and Jongdae are unconscious too, next to him. Chanyeol is looking over them. Kyungsoo stands between them and their enemies. If his vision wasn’t blurry, Zitao assumes he’d be able to better make out their enemies appearances, in the light.

“What- happened?”

“The device exploded.”

Zitao hums in acknowledgement, then stands, fully.

“What are you doing?” Baekhyun grabs his arm, when Zitao moves to take a step forward. “You can’t fight like this.”

Across from them, Sehun hits the ground with a harsh popping noise, before using wind to send the enemy who did it across the clearing. Zitao shakes his head. “I have to try.”

“But you-”

“I remember my power. I can slow things down.”

“And overuse it?”

“I wont.” Zitao promises. He looks down at the ground, trying to steady himself. To prove he’s fine. He jumps when he sees a spider, and Baekhyun breathe a sigh.

“Zitao-”

“I promise.”

"You're going to kill me. Be careful."

Jongin blinks into awareness. Yixing’s face fills his vision, and he startles. Moves back, only to hit his head on something. He flinches, Yixing apologizes, and he puts a hand to his head. Feels blood, and closes his eyes. The pain from his head shoots through the rest of his body when he tries to move, and Yixing tries to keep him from standing.

“I have to get us out of here.”

“We- you-”

“Please,” Jongin says, opening his eyes to meet Yixing’s. “Help me stand?”

“Okay.”

Jongin doesn’t think he can move everyone at once. If it was just himself, moving would be no problem. But taking others with him requires an amount of focus he can _barely_ manage, and certainly can’t manage all at once. So when Yixing stands him up, he knows he has to make a choice. Across from them, three of the others are unconscious. They should be moved first.

“I can’t take everyone at once.”

“Okay.”

“I’m going-” Jongin shakes his head, struggling for words- “the hurt ones first.”

“Okay,” Yixing repeats. And then Jongin is at the other side of the clearing. Chanyeol jumps at his arrival, and then frowns a Jongin. Opens his mouth to ask, but Jongin shakes his head.

“I- I can’t take everyone.”

“Oh, right.” Chanyeol seems to understand, and helps pull the three closer to Jongin. Jongin uses one hand to grab Junmyeon, and the other for Jongdae, and promises he’ll be right back.

Their campsite is too far, Jongin realizes, so he focuses on the nearest city he can, and ends up there. In a park. Luckily near a line of trees, that he leaves them next to, and hopes they’ll be okay.

When Jongin returns to the clearing, he stumbles. Feeling sick to his stomach. He looks up, to find Sehun now next to Minseok, and Chanyeol out in the fight. Sehun’s clutching in shoulder, and Jongin frowns at him.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine.” Sehun doesn’t look at him, pain obvious on his face. “Are you?”

“No.”

Sehun frowns at the word, but Jongin ignores it. Grabs Minseok, then looks to the rest of the group. Zitao is in the fight, moving quicker than Jongin thinks should be possible. No, maybe that makes sense. He can’t remember. Baekhyun and Yixing are to the side, seeming to be talking about something. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo are now both protecting the injured two. Jongin offers Sehun his other hand.

“I’m probably better off than the one without his power-” Sehun tries to argue, but Jongin grabs him without warning, and they’re in the park, again. Minseok is haphazardly dropped on top of the other two, and Jongin stumbles again. Falls to the ground, and feels like he’s going to throw up.

“Jongin?”

“I’m- it’s- don’t worry.” Sehun doesn’t responds, but Jongin knows what expression he must be making. “Please watch them?”

“Okay.”

Jongin appears next to Baekhyun and Yixing. Chanyeol is on this side of the clearing, now, and Jongin really doesn’t bother trying to keep up. He offers his hands to the two, but Baekhyun just pushes Yixing at Jongin, and turns away.

“I’m fine. And you look terrible. One at a time, okay?”

“Okay.”

Yixing immediately moves to lay the three unconscious members of the group down properly, when they arrive. He mutters something like, _“the memory is right there,”_ but Jongin can’t figure out what that’s supposed to mean.

When Jongin next returns, he grabs the closest person he can. Chanyeol it is, though the other gives a startled protest. Something about others being worse off in the fight. Jongin doesn’t think it matters, when they wont be in the fight much longer.

When he returns, again, Jongin finds himself hitting the ground. His arms shake, trying to hold him up, and he _does_ throw up this time. Shakes as he pulls himself back to his feet- or tries to- only to find Kyungsoo and Zitao lifting him up. Baekhyun shoves one of his hands in the face of an enemy, who- _that_\- flinches back and puts its hands to its face.

“I’m fine,” Jongin says, very much _not_ fine. “Who- next- who’s going-”

“Kyungsoo,” Zitao says, letting go of Jongin. The latter doesn’t have an arguments, though Kyungsoo does seem to _want_ to argue. “Sticking with my partner, or whatever.”

They’re back in the park, and Jongin nearly collapses into the other, world spinning. Jongin tries to pull away- to teleport again- but his vision too quickly goes dark.

When Jongin opens his eyes, he’s in a hotel room. He sits up, too quickly, and pain shoots through him again. Except… not as much. He looks down at his hands, as if they’ll give him answers. What happened?

“You’re awake?” Kyungsoo asks, startling him. Jongin only then realizes the other is sitting next to him. A book- now ignored- in his hands.

“Yeah. What- what happened?” At once Kyungsoo’s expression turns grave. “Kyungsoo?”

“We… you passed out. We don’t know what happened to Baekhyun and Zitao.”

“What?!” Jongin jumps to his feet- barely registers the pain, barely registers that his clothes have been changed.

“Jongin-”

“I- I’ll check-”

“What if you find-”

“We still have to check!”

The clearing is empty. Neither Baekhyun nor Zitao are there. Their enemies are nowhere to be seen. Jongin returns to the hotel room in another second, and meets Kyungsoo’s eyes for only a moment. “They were gone.”

“Gone… as in?”

“Literally. No one was there.”

Silence. Jongin finds himself sinking onto the floor, while Kyungsoo moves to sit next to him, again. Pats his back, as Jongin processors this. Where were they? What happened to them? Why did he have to pass out _then_ of all times?!

“What… now?” Jongin asks, softly. Kyungsoo responds slowly.

“Once you woke up, we wanted to see the Tree.”

“Okay.”

“We can wait, a bit.”

“Please.”

“Okay.”


	8. Damage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've lost someone, again.

_“I can’t find them,”_ the Tree tells them, telepathically. It should feel strange, but it’s familiar, in a way. Their memories have started returning, in full, now that the Tree is back on their plane. It didn’t even have to _do_ anything. For Minseok and Junmyeon, this is been more taxing. The sudden return of so much of their memory at once making them sick. The two have been left behind at the campsite, while the others seek some focus from the Tree of Life. (They’d returned to the sight, once Jongin was awake, again, and could take them.)

“You- you can’t _find_ them?!” Chanyeol asks, his clear worry reflecting the rest of the group.

_“It’s more than that,”_ it explains, _“I know… the fate of one of them.”_

“The fate of…”

_“Zitao’s power has returned to me.”_

The reactions are immediate. Jongin can’t look at the others- their shock, horror, whatever else- as he fills with guilt. If he had just been able to_ stay conscious_, this wouldn’t have happened. If he hadn’t listened to Zitao, when he said to take Kyungsoo. If-

“And- and Baekhyun?” Yixing asks. There’s something to his tone that Jongin can't quite place.

_“As I said, I can’t find him. But his power not returning can only mean two things.”_ Either he’s alive, or he exhausted his power, and died because of it. Left nothing to return to the Tree.

“So we should look for him.” Kyungsoo’s words are simple- get agreement from the group- but they all know it’s not as simple as it sounds. They don’t even know where to begin.

_“If he is alive,”_ the Tree begins, _“he must have been taken captive. They wont kill him, as that would only return his power to me.”_

_Not like they cared about that, with the other three,_ Jongin wants to argue.

_“I believe it would be wiser to train, so you can face them.”_

“With our memories back, we’ll know how to fight-”

_“More than that. You rely to heavily on your powers.”_ Which they can’t argue with. The reason they were caught and separated, originally, is because they were too exhausted to fight back. The reasons _this_ happened, is because Jongin was too exhausted to do anything. _“I can give you access to a place where you can train.”_

“A place?” Jongdae asks, voicing everyone’s thought.

_“Another dimension. Much like your own. You wont be able to use your powers, there, however. So you will only be able to train other skills.”_

“So…how do we get there?”

_“I can give one of you the ability to move themselves and others between here and there. Jongin?”_

“Me?”

_“It would make the most sense, for you, as it should feel similar to using your own power.”_

“Okay.” Jongin nods, hesitantly. Should he really be given that responsibility? After- no. Jongin mentally shakes the thought away. There wasn’t anything he could have done. He knows that, logically, but forcing himself to _feel_ that is a struggle.

Baekhyun had taken Zitao as far as he could, but _they_ caught up, eventually. Zitao was bleeding, heavily, and Baekhyun knew without treatment he’d be dead far to quickly. Didn’t need a doctor to tell him that. Hiding proved far too difficult, when he couldn’t break _their_ sight, and he, himself, was too hurt to fight back either.

He only was able to guess what happened- why they were left behind- and hoped, at least, Jongin hadn’t exhausted his power so greatly he ended up the same way Baekhyun thought himself and Zitao were going to.

“Baek- Baekhyun.” Zitao barely got the name out, gaining Baekhyun’s attention. “You should…run.”

“I- can’t do that.” Baekhyun shakes his head. Zitao stared at him- best he could, with drooping eyes- and Baekhyun’s resolve faltered. He must have known what Baekhyun already did. “I _wont_.”

“I can…give you extra time.” Extra time that Zitao would lose, as times effects don’t slow for him, when using his power. Baekhyun shook his head again, as footsteps reached his ears.

“Please, we already- there’s already been too many-” Baekhyun was cut off by Zitao coughing.

“I can’t see.” The admission makes how bad things are set in. He could barely carry Zitao when he was awake. He couldn’t carry Zitao once he passed out.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

The group is in the midst of explaining everything to Minseok and Junmyeon, when rustling from the forest draws their attention. A moment of silence, as they wait to find out if it’s animal or _something else_. Then someone emerges from the trees, and Junmyeon stands immediately. Unstable from his still-dizzy head, but unable to stay seated when _Baekhyun_ enters the campsite. Silence, for a moment, then everyone rushes towards him with questions and concern.

“Are you okay?!”

“What happened?”

“How did you get back-”

“How did you escape-”

“Were you followed?”

“Do you need healing?”

“Are you-”

“Guys!” Junmyeon shouts, getting everyone to quiet down. Baekhyun breathes a sigh, clearly relieved. He’s hurt. Cut right over his face, bruises on his arms, limping when they move him to sit down. “Baekhyun, are you okay?”

“I’m… alive.” He tries to laugh, shrugging, and Junmyeon frowns. Pats his shoulder- lightly- in sympathy.

“Do you need healing?” Yixing asks, and Baekhyun gives a small nod. Then stops, blinks at the other. “Huh?”

“Remembered my power,” Yixing says, simply. “Aren’t your memories coming back, too?”

“Yeah- yeah, sorry. I haven’t slept.” This gets more concern, but he brushes it off as Yixing move to heal him.

“How did you get here?”

“I… walked?”

“All- all the way here?” Sehun’s incredulous tone makes Baekhyun jump.

“Do you… know where we are?”

“Um…” Everyone turns to Jongin, who shakes his head.

“I just picture this place, I don’t actually know where it is.”

“It’s not as far as you might think,” Baekhyun says, with a small laugh.

“How did you…escape?” Chanyeol asks, finally, and this makes Baekhyun flinch. “You don’t have to-”

“I ran. My- um- my memories of my power helped. Some newer ones. About manipulating light, to- uh- to make me invisible.”

“What happened-” Jongdae’s question is cut short by Kyungsoo kicking him in the leg. “_Ow_.”

“We’ll fill you in, on what you missed,” Kyungsoo says. Baekhyun nods.

“A place where our powers don’t work, and where we can train to fight without them?” Baekhyun says, when the explanation is finished.

“Yeah.” Jongdae nods.

“Are we sure the Red Forces wont be able to find us, there?”

“They wont know what dimension we’re in, so it’s not likely they’ll know where to look. Besides they seem pretty… focused on this one, for now.” Sehun’s words get nods from the others.

“So,” Junmyeon starts, getting their attention. “We should prepare to leave, to there.”

“Right now?” Minseok raises an eyebrow, at him, but Junmyeon nods.

“It’ll be safer to rest there, than here. After all, if Baekhyun could find his way back here- and we are as close to where we were, as he says- then they could find us, too.”

“That’s… a good point. So, Jongin, think you can get us all there?”

“Shouldn’t be a problem.” With a nod, Jongin stands. Hold out his hands to the two nearest to him- Kyungsoo and Sehun- who in turn grab two of the others, and so on. Until everyone is holding onto someone else.

Moving between dimensions is a lot different to just teleporting. The latter is a small disorientation, as you blink and are suddenly somewhere else. The former is the sinking feeling of motion sickness and a lack of balance as everything around you shifts to be something else.

Where they end up, in this _other dimension_ is a city park, sitting across from a hotel. Nobody seems to notice their sudden appearance, paying them no mind

“Um… now what?”

“That.” Sehun motions towards the hotel.

“Us and what money?” Chanyeol pokes Sehun in the arm, getting a frown in response.

“Our own, duh.”

“Uh huh. And how are we supposed to use that in another world?”

“Withdraw it in ours, bring it here. Done.”

“We should have done that first, then.”

“Joke on you, I was smart enough to.” Sehun grins, pulling out his wallet. Chanyeol gasps, over dramatically.

“What did you think we were doing, when we left earlier?” Sehun asks, referring to a small point between their Tree visit, and he and Jongin going somewhere else for a short time.

“I don’t know.” Chanyeol huffs, throwing his arms up. Baekhyun laughs at him, patting his back.

“It’s okay, that just means they have to pay our bills.”

“You’re so right.”

“Hey wait a second-”

Sehun’s argument goes ignored as the group starts to move forward. Jongin just sighs, seeming resigned to his fate.

A world where they can’t use their powers. _Baekhyun _supposes that just makes things easier for him. It would be hard to explain why he couldn’t, in their world, but here nobody will question it. Why the power he does have isn’t Baekhyun’s.

“So, what are we actually going to train _in_?” Jongdae asks, sitting in the room he shares with Chanyeol and Baekhyun.

“Whatever you think might help.” Chanyeol shrugs.

“I think I took up fencing, at one point. Maybe I’ll see if I can improve on that,” Baekhyun says, mirroring Chanyeol’s shrug.

“Wait, really? When?”

“Sometime between the first and second time we fought the Red Forces.”

“Oh, man, I don’t think you ever mentioned that.”

“Maybe you just forgot.” At Baekhyun’s words, Chanyeol gasps in mock offense. Jongdae muffles laughter, when Chanyeol glares at him for laughing.

“Or- or you just never mentioned it,” Jongdae says. “We didn’t have a lot of time to talk about life, at the time.” Too busy running or fighting for their lives.

“Maybe.” Silence. When they’re talking, like nothing is wrong, it’s easy to ignore what’s happened. To not think about what they’ve lost. Both what they only just remembered, and what only just happened. But the moment of silence has the weight of it crushing down on them.

“Well… anyway.” Chanyeol fumbles for something to say. Jongdae nods, as if he’s already said something.

“I might take up martia- uh-” Jongdae clears his throat- “self defense classes.”

“Yeah- yeah. Good idea.” Chanyeol nods. Baekhyun smiles at them, shaking his head.

“Ignoring it isn’t going to make us feel better.”

“Yeah, but… you….”

“It’s okay.” Baekhyun looks away. “You should probably stick to self defense classes, though. You know how long it takes to learn a martial art?”

“Hey, you don’t know. Maybe we’re naturally gifted,” Jongdae says.

“Doubt it.”

“Hey!”

_“Merry Christmas,”_ _Zitao’s voice echos down the street, around the group. Minseok laughs, as Baekhyun and Chanyeol cheer. The three are just teenagers. Yet unaware of the fighting that awaits them. Minseok looks up at the sky, where snowfall comes to a stop, as he stops creating it._

_“Merry Christmas,” Sehun says, throwing a snowball at Chanyeol, who shrieks, tumbling to the ground as he jumps to avoid it. Sehun laughs at him, joined by Zitao. Minseok watches with mild amusement, until a ball of snow hits him._

_He spins, slowly, to face Luhan- the culprit- who just grins at him. “Hey, merry Christmas.”_

_“Run.” Minseok chases after him, as Luhan follows his advice. Behind them, Minseok can hear the others._

_“And _they’re_ the adults,” Jongin says._

_“I don’t know,” Zitao starts, “maybe that’s a lie. They don’t even look that old.”_

_Minseok chooses to take that as a compliment._

_“Luhan does kind of look like a five year old,” Jongdae says. There’s noises of agreement, as Luhan gasps. Stops running from Minseok- who slides to a stop next to him- and spins to face the teenagers._

_“I do not!”_

_“Shit, he heard us. Scatter!” Baekhyun grabs two of the others, running, and Luhan gives chase. Minseok laughs at the scene, even when Zitao comes to hide next to Minseok, as if Luhan wouldn’t be able to see him there._

Minseok wakes with a pounding headache. Sits up, and holds his head. They’ve been fairly common, since his memories started returning in full. For a moment, the headache doesn’t bother him. His mind more focused on the memory. It’s from shortly after everyone met and came together, before they really knew how much of a threat the Red Forces were supposed to be. (And long before they really were.) Back when half of their group were just kids.

And then the realization of who’s _missing_ now hits him. That the people in the memory who are gone, are gone. His headache feels worse, and he drops back onto his bed with a sigh.

“Minseok, you okay?” Junmyeon’s voice reaches him, from the other side of the room. Their other roommate- Yixing- remains asleep. Minseok shakes his head, not looking at Junmyeon.

“Yeah, just… memories.”

“Oh.” The single word holds a lot of understanding.

“I’m going to… get breakfast.” Minseok sits up again, and slowly stands.

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm.......sorry


	9. Training I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their memories back, the group begins spending their days preparing to fight.

_Baekhyun’s_ memories press heavily on his mind. Ache in that they’re so much his- so familiar- and yet… they aren’t. They’re wrong.

He’s wrong.

He wonders if _the others_ feel like this, too.

He wonders if Baekhyun does. If he’s supposed to.

Half of the group ends up taking basic self defense classes. The fact that none of them had, before, is probably something they should have considered. Should have done. (Maybe it would have changed something.)

Those that don’t pursue that in particular look into other specific ways to defend themselves, if they don’t have their powers.

“Not to sound weird…but can’t we buy guns?”

“I mean, if you find a way to get them, sure.” Minseok shrugs, looking towards Kyungsoo. “Or we could join Sehun in archery. Which is less illegal here.”

“Learn to sword fight, coward,” Baekhyun says, from the other side of the room.

“Shut up this isn’t 1647.”

“Why- why such a specific year?” Minseok turns to Kyungsoo, who shrugs.

“First numbers that came to mind.”

“Whatever. When you run out of ammo I’ll be cutting down my foes.”

“Nerd.”

“Fight me.”

"Okay."

"Wait I was joking-"

Two month pass before they realize it’s _really pricey_ to stay in a hotel for months at a time. That, and the employees are beginning to look at them strangely, as they’re staying for extended amounts of time, and paying entirely in cash. As such, Junmyeon recommends they find a more permanent place to stay, for as long as they are staying in the dimension.

“And how long _is_ that?” Yixing asks. Voices what all of them have thought at some point or another.

“Well,” Junmyeon starts, “however long we need, to feel like we can protect ourselves.”

“What if the Red Forces are up to something, though? If they do something, while we’re here…”

“Maybe we should talk to the Tree, about it?”

“Okay.”

_“They’ve made no moves, yet. I can only assume they’re preparing for something that I can not see.”_

“So, what, we just wait?”

_“You prepare, in the time you have. I will be able to reach you, should something significant happen, and call you back. Until then, use the time you have.”_

They find a average sized apartment, not far from where they were, in the other dimension. The owners don’t second-guess their documents, even though if they actually checked, they likely wouldn’t come up. Seeing as they’re from another world. Still, the three-room apartment is theirs, by the end of the month.

They divide rooms evenly. Three to a room. (Nobody mentions how this arrangement is only so even because of their most recent loss.)

They’ve been in the dimension for six months, and have almost settled in it. Some of them have gotten jobs, to make sure they don’t run out of funds while there, and they can almost pretend it’s their own world. That nothing is different. That they aren't only there for their safety.

Sehun was not prepared for the amount of arm strength archery takes. No one ever mentioned it. It’s fine at first, when he’s learning, but as his skill increases, so does the quality of the bow he’s using. And so does the level of strength firing takes. Let alone repeated firing.

He returns home, one day, with sore arms and a feeling of accomplishment at his progress. Drops onto his bed, in the room he shares with Junmyeon and Jongin. Neither are around, leaving him alone in silence.

Sehun closes his eyes, and thinks. The silence is filled by his too-quickly-running thoughts. Memories that had returned months ago, but that he hadn’t actively thought of. Hadn’t wanted to. Memories of those gone, already.

_“Obviously Sehun is my favourite. Our powers are the most similar.”_

_“That really unfair, Luhan.”_

_“Too bad.” Luhan threw an arm around Sehun’s shoulder. “He’s my favourite.”_

_“And after all the years of friendship,” Minseok sighed, mocking betrayal. Sehun had laughed, only for Minseok to kick him in the leg. His laughter only got louder, joined by Luhan’s. Then Minseok’s._

_In a different memory, Sehun and Zitao set up a Christmas tree. Though it’s not exactly a _big_ holiday, Sehun was happy to have anything to celebrate. Finally away from the mental institution he’d been in, until then. (Never mind that he’d run away.) Sehun fought with tinsel as Zitao put lights around the tree ,and for a short while they were normal teenagers. Junmyeon warned them that Minseok was going to throw a fit over the mess they were making._

_In another memory, Sehun accidentally tosses Yifan into a wall, with his power of wind. The other- with the power of flight- groans in annoyance that Sehun feels as well. “We kind of suck.”_

_“Yeah.”_

_In another memory, Sehun is older. An adult. The Red Forces hadn’t returned, it was peaceful, and he was visiting Minseok and Luhan, for his birthday. The others joined, throughout the day, and he’d felt, genuinely, happy._

Those memories are so simple, yet he finds himself clinging to them. Feels tears welling up in eyes, as he remember. These memories that were _stolen from him._ These memories he had lost. Unable to even remember that Luhan and Yifan were gone. These memories he never got the chance to reminiscence with Zitao about.

“Sehun?” Junmyeon voice startles him, and he sits up. At once, Junmyeon is at his side, and Sehun leans towards him on instinct. “Are you okay?”

“They’re…really gone.” Junmyeon flinches at the words, then sighs.

“Yeah.”

“And we _forgot them_. And- and we couldn’t-”

“I know.” Junmyeon wraps an arm around Sehun. “We… wont lose anyone else.”

“Can you be sure?”

“I wont let it happen.” Junmyeon sounds so sure, yet it only worries Sehun.

“You can’t go, either.”

“I- okay.”


	10. Capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their first mission after training doesn't go as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who has a fucking cold  
if updates are really slow that's why (bc i have up to chapter 13-14 drafted(i dont remember if 14 is finished or not))

After six months of living in a different world, returning to their own is a bit disorienting, and a bit comforting. Unfortunately, as they expected- knew- they only end up returning because the Tree of Life has sensed the Red Forces making a move.

_“They’ve started some great construction. Something I could easily notice, which means it must be something great, and something significant, to them.”_

“I can not believe we’re in another fucking _forest_,” Chanyeol says, breathing a heavy sigh. Jongdae elbows him, while Kyungsoo gives a small noise of agreement.

“Technically there’s a town in the forest?” Junmyeon offers, only to get another sigh in response.

The Red Forces have constructed an entire town, in the middle of a forest. Functionally, it’s made up of buildings to hold the Red Forces- well- forces. There’s a much larger building at one edge of the makeshift town, and that is their biggest concern. The lower levels of it are made of brick, but the walls become metal about halfway up. It’s a few stories tall, hidden only because of the tall tree line of the forest. If they hadn’t know it was here, looking for it would have been a pain.

“So, what’s our plan?” Minseok asks, looking to the group. Everyone except Baekhyun is here, the other left behind when moving back to their world seemed to make him horribly ill. Yixing offered to heal him, but was turned away because it would have been, “_a waste of his energy_.” Junmyeon argued, then, that it was probably best for at least one of them to be left behind, in case something happened.

“We should probably cause some distraction, in the town itself, while we investigate the building." Which is their goal. Not to stop whatever their plan is- yet, at least, unless it turns out to be nearly complete- but to find out what, exactly, it is they’re planning. As such, getting caught in the building isn’t in their best interest.

“Sure, but wont that make them suspicious, and raise security?” Jongdae asks, frowning.

“We can deal with them,” Yixing says. “We’re more prepared than they are, this time. They don’t know what we’ve been doing, for the past six months.”

“Yixing’s right,” Junmyeon says, nodding. “Besides, if they think we only ever made it into the town, they wont know how much we know.”

“Good point.” Jongdae nods, relenting. “So who’s doing what?”

When all eyes turn to Junmyeon, he startles. “Huh?”

“Hey, you started the plan. What’s the rest?” Kyungsoo says, with a shrug. Junmyeon pauses, for a moment, before nodding.

“Okay.” Junmyeon turns back to the town, then back to the group. Debating roles with himself. They haven’t had any time to train their powers, but with their memories back, they have the skill levels they did before they lost them. (Junmyeon tries not to think about what happened the last time they fought the Red Forces, both before and after losing their memories.)

“Okay?” Sehun asks, after the silence lasts too long.

“The people with the most destructive powers should go into the town. We don’t need many of us, in the building, especially if we’re trying to be sneaky. So Chanyeol, Jongdae, Kyungsoo, Minseok, and Sehun: be the forces of chaos you were always meant to be.”

“I don’t know if we should be offended by that or not,” Chanyeol says, frowning.

“Don’t be offended by accuracy,” Kyungsoo says. Chanyeol turns to mock gasp at him, while Junmyeon turns to Yixing and Jongin.

“Yixing, you can stay here. If they need your help, while fighting, it wont do us any good if you’re with us.”

“Got it.”

“Jongin, you’re obviously the most obvious choice for getting in and out easily.”

“Mhm.”

“But you probably shouldn’t be by yourself, entirely. Just in case you do run into trouble.”

“So you’re going with me?”

“Yeah.”

Roles set, the group separate.

They’re going to get caught. _Baekhyun _knows this, which is exactly why he fakes illness to stay out of the situation. The Red Forces are expecting retaliation- or at least investigation- from the group, as they start _whatever_ it is they’re doing.

He shouldn’t care. As he sits in the hotel room they left him in, though, he can’t help but feel wrong about this. Stares down at his phone- at information he’s sent off to the Red Forces- and breathes a sigh.

It must be _his_ memories. The reason this feels wrong.

He stands, leaving the building. It’s a long walk, but he has plenty of time.

Something is wrong. Jongin realizes immediately upon entering the building. It’s too empty, and…

Jongin turns to Junmyeon, only to see the dawning realization forming on Junmyeon’s face. Something is definitely wrong. This place- this building- feels the same way Junmyeon’s _house_ did. The same way Minseok’s apartment did. Wrong in a way they can’t quite place.

“Let’s just… hurry.” Jongin nods at Junmyeon’s words. They makes their way- by foot- further into the building. There are very few Red Forces in the building. Surprisingly few. All with identical faces- covered by _something-_ some sort of visor- and looking over something the two can’t get close enough to see. They avoid those they see, looking for any sign of what’s being constructed. Or any information about it.

“Stop there.” The voice startles them, and they turn. There’s another of the identical, human-like Red Force beings. The voice is _wrong_. Lacking the cadence of a real person. Junmyeon and Jongin face them, then each other, then Junmyeon pulls water from the air, wrapping around their head, silencing further words. Breathing doesn’t seem to be a need for them, human form only for show, which eases any hesitance Junmyeon might have had. Slashing through them with water and watching as they collapse into smoke and disappear.

“That… wasn’t that bad,” Jongin says, breathing a relieved sigh. “We should hurry, in case they alerted anyone.”

“Right.” Junmyeon nods, and they speed up their search.

Pillars of ice and earth burst from the ground across one side of the town, taking a few of the building’s walls with them, and many of the Red Forces. On the other side, fire twists around a group of Red Forces, before the space in the middle is filled with more fire. Chanyeol dismisses his control over the fire, with heavy breathes, and moves to stand behind Sehun. Wind picks up the fire, spreading it further through the town.

A wall of earth goes up around the group, blocking the Red Forces from all of them but Yixing and Jongdae. Yixing is in the forest, hidden, so not a concern. Electricity trails over Jongdae’s hands, before bursting to life around him, trailing towards the Red Forces even without direction, and being stopped from hitting the others because of the wall of earth.

“This is pretty easy when we’re not trying to escape anything, huh?” Kyungsoo says, lowering the wall when Jongdae shouts an, “okay,” to them.

“It’s like the first time. When they were-” Chanyeol throws a ball of fire at a Red Force holding an actual weapon- of which there’s surprisingly few- knocking them back. “When they weren’t really a threat.”

“Yeah,” Minseok says, frowning as he puts up a wall of ice. Blocks one of them from hitting him with a bat. “It’s kind of… too easy?”

“Don’t say that.” Jongdae comes to stand next to Minseok, resting his power.

“I don’t know,” Sehun starts, jumping away from an attack, wind carrying him further. Spikes of earth replace him, piercing through a few of the Red Forces. “Thanks, Kyungsoo!”

“Yeah!” Kyungsoo turns to create another wall, to lead Chanyeol’s next attack straight.

“Something about this is… off,” Sehun says, finally. Minseok nods.

“What could-” Chanyeol cuts himself off, with a gasp. “Um, guys…”

“What?” Kyungsoo turns, to see look at Chanyeol. Looks past him and see what he’s reacting too. “Oh.”

“What is it?” Minseok pushes back an enemy, just as Chanyeol answers.

“Yixing.”

All eyes turn to Yixing. Held by two of the Red Forces- one at each arm- and surrounded by more. A threat to the others.

“I’m sorry,” Yixing says, after trying and failing to break free.

“They- they can’t seriously be planning to just up and _bomb_ parts of the planet?” Junmyeon stares at the screen in abject shock. Disbelief only covered by horror. “That’s- they never went that direct, before, right? Why would they suddenly-”

“Junmyeon.” Jongin’s voice, and hand on his shoulder, pulls Junmyeon out of his thoughts. He shakes his head, trying to clear his them.

“Right. Let’s get out of here, now that we know.” This gets a nod, followed by silence. When nothing happens, Junmyeon watches Jongin’s face fill with confusion. “Jongin?”

“I- I can’t teleport out.”

“What?”

“I can’t teleport out.” Jongin repeating it doesn’t make Junmyeon’s confusion any less. After a moment, he realizes he should have expected this. Planned for this. The Red Forces had previously been able to make a building that Jongin couldn’t teleport _in_ to, and that was during the first time they faced them. Of course they could do the reverse.

“It’s… it’s okay.” Junmyeon nods to himself. Turns to the door out of the room they’ve found themselves in. “We’ll just go back the way we came-”

“What is it?” Jongin turns. There’s a mass of Red Forces outside of the door, that they can’t see past. “Shit.”

“So,” Kyungsoo starts. “Back it again with the being captured, huh?”

“What?!” Chanyeol turns to him, surprise evident. “You- you can’t be making a joke right now!”

“If I don’t make jokes I’m going to commit a murder.”

“Fair.”

“Guys.” Junmyeon sighs, looking around them. They’ve been thrown into the back of a truck and tied up. Even if they could use their powers, like this- which they don’t seem to be able too, in the truck- it wouldn’t be safe, due to the lack of space.

“Chanyeol, were you ever even captured?” Jongdae turns to Chanyeol, who pauses, gasping.

“Not the first time!”

“We were _all_ captured at least once,” Minseok points out. A reminder of their stolen memories- and those lost in the process of their capture- that gets silence. After a pause, Minseok mutters a, “sorry.”

“It’s okay, you’re right.” Jongdae knocks their shoulders together, unable to give any other form of comfort, due to the whole, _being tied up_ thing.

“I’m really sorry,” Yixing says, finally. The first he’s spoken since their capture.

“Dude, don’t apologize. You were outnumbered, and we should have left someone with you, just in case.” Sehun’s words get a small nod from Yixing.

“Really,” Junmyeon says, insistent. “Even if you hadn’t been captured, me and Jongin would have been.”

A bump in the road has them all knocking into each other. Kyungsoo breathes a heavy sigh. “Where are they even _taking_ us?”

Chanyeol glances towards the front of the truck. Where two Red Force being are. They look humanoid, but anything could be under their helmets. They don’t react to his staring, or the group talking. Behind them, there’s another truck of Red Forces following. He can’t really see where they’re going, from his position, only able to see more trees.

“Who knows.” Chanyeol sighs, looking away. A frown forms on his face, as he stares at the floor.

“We’ll…figure something out,” Minseok promises. “They aren’t going to kill us, so long as that would give our power back to the Tree.”

“Yeah, but they didn’t kill us last time either.” Junmyeon’s words get another moment of silence.

“Not like they’ve avoided killing us so far,” Kyungsoo says, gaining a more tense silence in returns.

“Can- can we just try and think of a way out,” Jongin says.

“Right!” Jongdae nods. “There has to be some way out. They can’t hold us forever-”

The truck rocks again, then comes to a stop all at once.

“What is-” All at once the Red Forces in the front jump out, and the group shares looks of surprise.

“What’s happening?!”

Chanyeol pushes his back against the wall of the truck, and uses that leverage to pull himself to his feet, without his hands. “Oh, there’s something blocking the way.” He drops back to the floor.

“Any escape ideas, while we have the chance?” Jongdae asks, looking around the group. They all have the same emotion on their faces. Doubt. No ideas to be found. Jongdae kicks at the back doors of the truck, with no luck. The front is blocked by a grate, leaving them trapped.

“Well…fuck.”

He shouldn’t care. _Baekhyun_ approaches the back truck, adjusting the helmet on his head. Exactly the same as the one the Red Forces guarding their prisoners are wearing. It must be _his_ memories, making him act like this.

But in a way, they’re his memories too.

Six months of memories that are exclusively his are all the more reason.

So he pulls the drivers door open, much to their shock, and pulls one of them out of the vehicle, throws it under the truck, in the same motion, and jumps into the drivers seat. Hits reverse as the other in the front reaches for him. The one under the truck disappears into smoke, as he kicks the one next to him out of the opposite door- spins the wheel harshly to turn the truck over them, too- then comes to a complete stop.

Just a few more.


	11. Traps I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's likely that all the information they found was fake, but they can't ignore the chance it isn't.  
So he knows they're walking into an obvious trap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow it's been.......over a year. as much as i thought it wasn't, 2020 apparently got to me more than I thought, sorry. Luckily I've had this (and the next few chapters) drafted for a while, so it was only a matter of editing/posting them. I'll probably leave some space between updates, and hope I manage to write more, during that time. Thank you for your patience, if you're still following this story.

There are a lot of sounds, from outside the truck. Firstly, the sounds of the truck behind them starting and the screeching of it’s brakes. The Red Forces in front of their truck seem to react to this, rushing out of the area they can see, though the window.

“What on _earth_ is happening back there?” Kyungsoo mutters, turning to glare at the door at the back of the truck.

“Were not psychic,” Jongdae says, with a shrug. At the same time Chanyeol speaks.

“On _earth_, huh?” The words get a kick in the legs from Kyungsoo.

“Not a pun.”

There’s the sounds of crashing, then of gunshots, then something hits the truck they’re in- the back of it- harshly enough that they all knock into each other again.

“What the _fuck,”_ Minseok says struggling to stay upright.

Then the doors open. One figure, in the Red Forces helmet. Behind the figure, they can see that the other Red Forces are gone, and the other truck is crashed.

“Um,” Chanyeol says, intelligently.

“I _can not_ believe you guys got captured again,” Baekhyun’s voice comes muffled from behind the helmet. He reaches up to pull it off, and grins at the group.

“Baekhyun!” Yixing is the first to react. “How did you get here!”

“I knew where you were, remember? I figured if it took this long, something must have gone wrong.”

“But- how did you _find us_.” Junmyeon stares, until Baekhyun laughs, looking away.

“I was actually on my way to where you were, when the trucks passed me. A lot of running and some messing with their vision, and the Red Forces went in a solid six circles, so I had time to come up with a plan.”

“And the helmet? And the clothes?” Sehun motions- as best he can without his hands- to Baekhyun’s form. Where the tactical vest and helmet are. Both things the Red Forces were wearing.

“Do you want the ten minute explanation or do you just want me to say I’m a master thief and leave it at that?”

“That’s fine.” Junmyeon cuts off any of the other’s responses. “Can you untie us.”

“Sure thing!”

Once everyone is free, it’s easy for Jongin to get them all out of there. First to their campsite, and then back into the other dimension from there, when they think better of staying there.

_“I don’t know what happened, but they’re all back. Did they escape?”_ A suitable message to make it seem like he wasn’t behind their escape.

_“Just keep watching them.”_

_“Understood.”_

“That whole thing… was a setup, right?” Chanyeol asks, to the room. Baekhyun hums agreement. Yixing nods.

“It definitely seemed like it. They must have _known_ if they made a big move, the Tree would have us check it out.” Yixing looks down at his hands. “We should have been more careful.”

“We always do.” Baekhyun reaches over to pat Yixing’s shoulder, sympathetic.

“We should have been more careful.”

“We should have realized they’ve only gotten smarter, since the first time, they were bound to realize if they made a big move we’d check it out.”

“Wait- wait.” Chanyeol holds a hand up, as if he needs to, to get their attention. “Should we even believe any of the information we found, then? What if it was all fake, just something to give them time to catch the ones in the building?!”

“You think that’s possible?” Yixing frowns.

“I don’t know, maybe you’re right. Why put actual information there?” Baekhyun shrugs. “It was probably fake.”

“Should be worry about what we found?” Junmyeon paces the room, muttering to himself. “What if it was all just something to waste our time, so they could capture us? But what if it’s true? But they don’t tend to do something like that…”

“It doesn’t really fit their usual… stuff.” Sehun shakes his head. Jongin nods in agreement.

“Yeah. We thought it was weird, reading it, it was probably just there to waste our time.”

“But if it _is_ real, and we don’t do anything…” Junmyeon shakes his head. “We should check, at least.”

“Except they _know_ we saw that information. What if it just leads us to another trap?” Jongin frowns, apparently unconvinced.

“Yeah, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Sehun says, agreeing. Junmyeon frowns at both of them.

“I- I think we should at least check. We’ll be more careful. Prepared. After this.”

Jongin and Sehun share a look of concern, but don’t argue.

“We should have _known_ something was weird.” Kyungsoo drops onto his bed, voice laced with annoyance. “We should have realized it was too easy.”

“It was our first fight, since getting out memories back. And in six months. Of course we weren’t thinking it being easy meant anything,” Minseok argues, softly.

“Still.”

“There’s no point in being upset about it _now_,” Jongdae says. “We should pay more attention, from now on.”

“_From now on._ We should have paid more attention in the first place.”

“Well it’s a little late for that. We’ll do better.”

“Yeah,” Minseok says, gaining their attention again. “We’ll be more careful, when we look into the information we found.”

“Uh- should we even bother? Wasn’t that most likely just a trap?” Jongdae asks, frowning. Kyungsoo sits up to nod in agreement.

“So we should ignore it? What if it _was_ real?” Minseok’s words get silence from the two. “We know they can set real- good- traps now. So we know to look out for it. We’ll be okay.”

“If you say so,” Kyungsoo says, frowning.

“And we shouldn’t send everyone at once, from now on.” This gets a nod from the others.

Two to Seven, the vote for thinking the information is worth checking vs thinking it’s just a trap. Junmyeon and Minseok are outnumbered, but all that means is that they volunteer to check themselves, given Jongin takes them there.

_Baekhyun_ doesn’t understand. Surely they know it doesn’t fit the Red Forces methods. That it was obviously a trap.

“Okay, okay. You two can’t go by yourselves.” _Baekhyun_ shakes his head, before standing. “I’ll go, too.”

“You will?” Chanyeol asks, as if he doesn’t believe this. _Baekhyun_ isn’t sure if he should be offended or not. “Yeah, well, I can hide us, so it makes the most sense for me to go, of anyone.”

“I- I’ll drop you off, but I still think it’s dangerous,” Jongin says.

“That’s fine.” Junmyeon turns to Jongin. “It’s for the best you stay safe. Since we can’t always count on being nearby, if something happens.”

“Not to be argumentative,” Sehun starts, ignoring the scoff from Jongdae, “but what are you going to do if you _do_ find bombs?”

“Steal them?” Minseok shrugs.

“Seriously?”

“We could take them somewhere they wont be a threat,” Jongin offers as an option.

“If they’re enough that they could wipe out most of humanity, don’t you think that too much for anywhere?” Kyungsoo says. After a moment of silence, _Baekhyun speaks._

“We could send them off of the planet.”

“Are we astronauts now?”Jongdae turns to _Baekhyun_, who shakes his head.

“We can literally travel between dimensions. You think the Tree of Life wont have any way for us to send things that far?”

“He has a point,” Yixing says. “Besides this all assuming there’s actually any bombs in the first place.”

“Exactly!”

Which there aren’t. _Baekhyun_ knows that was all just a set up. Nothing there was real, or worth investigating, and the information certainly wasn’t. Why leave real information there for the trap? He’ll have to figure something out, to get them some _real_ information, without being caught. And figure out how to make it look like he actually has _his_ power, and not a similar, but wrong, power in it’s place.


	12. Traps II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's something distinctly wrong with how act.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapters in as many days? in this economy? 
> 
> everything up to chapter 14 is drafted already and waiting to post so....yeah

Another small building. Getting in proves surprisingly easy, but once they find stairs leading them underground, the group of three hesitate. It’s not dark, this time, but that’s the least of their concerns. (Or the most of _one _of their concerns.)

Junmyeon takes point, as they make their way down. Quietly as possible. He keeps a ball of floating water in hand, waiting for any signs of their powers being blocked. Minseok is behind him, looking around for any signs of the Red Forces. Baekhyun follows behind them, watching their backs.

Minseok has that feeling again. The one he felt back in his apartment, and back where Junmyeon lived. Something wrong, but that he can’t quite place. For a second, he thinks it might be whatever blocks their powers, but Junmyeon’s powers continue working, without falter. Anxious, Minseok lowers the temperature around his hand, just to prove he can. When that works, he shakes that thought away. Remembers that his power _had_ worked in his apartment.

Then, he thinks, maybe it’s just something about the Red Forces, themselves. If so…

Minseok whispers his worry- his theory- to the others. Junmyeon gives a small word of agreement, but Baekhyun remains silent. Minseok spins, to make sure Baekhyun is still there. When he does, Baekhyun is there, frowning. He shakes his head, when Minseok tilts his own in question.

“No, sorry, I got caught up thinking about it.”

“Okay. Keep your guard up.”

“Right.”

_Baekhyun_ isn’t sure why he offered to go. He _knows_ this is all a trap. The Red Forces have more effective way to wipe out life on earth- on the entire plane- and something like this could easily be fixed by the Tree of Life. Especially if they ended up killing any of those with powers, returning the Tree of Life to it’s full power.

They aren’t that dumb. Never were, even back when Baekhyun remembered them being a non-threat.

Maybe it’s because he knows its a trap. Because he doesn’t want them to get hurt. Maybe it’s because he knows Minseok and Junmyeon are the worst two, to fall into the Red Forces clutches.

Either way, it’s a terrible idea. Unlike the _others_, _Baekhyun_ doesn’t have the same power as _him_. A defective copy. While it’s similar, it’s not similar enough.

_His _power is to manipulate light. _Baekhyun’s_ power is the pull light out of things. While the Red Forces have enough collective strength to give the copies powers, Baekhyun is the first, and most flawed, copy.

_The others._ _Baekhyun_ shakes the thought away. No point in thinking about it.

He’ll stick to blinding enemies. An ability _he_ does have, that _Baekhyun_ can mimic with his power. He can’t manipulate the light around him, to be invisible, so he’ll have to avoid needing that. And he can’t get caught by the Red Forces. Knows what will happen to him, if he’s caught turning against them.

Unlike most of the Red Forces, _Baekhyun_ isn’t a part of the near hive-mind most of them are. He can lie to the Red Forces, but if he’s caught it’s all over.

Well, he thinks, that’s true if he’s caught lying to the _originals_, too.

Their journey through the building supplies them with exactly _zero_ information. And no bombs, either.

What it does supply them with, is enemies. Red Forces. A wall of ice comes up to block Baekhyun, and Junmyeon looks for a way out of the room- out of the building- that isn’t blocked. There aren’t any, so they’re just going to have to make one.

“Baekhyun?”

“Yeah?”

“Stand back.”

“Can do!”

Junmyeon takes a step forward, using what water he’s already pulled from the air to push the nearest of the Red Forces back, then tries to pull that- and any other moisture he can- back to himself. The ice of Minseok’s ice wall shake, effected as they’re also water.

At once, it breaks, and joins the rest of the water in the large ball of water he’s created. He pushes it all forward, at once, towards the exit. Pushing back as many of the Red Forces as he can. More- from the sides- rush forward. One throws a punch at him, that he barely stumbles out of. Minseok pushes him forward, out of the path of one with a knife, and into one with a gun.

Junmyeon knocks the weapon out of it’s grip- lucky it hadn’t used it yet- and rushes forward. Minseok’s hands remain on his back, pushing him, as wall of ice come up on either side of them. He can hear Minseok’s heavy, exhausted, breathing as they run. He glances back for only a second- sees Baekhyun duck away from one of the less-human Red Forces, then follow them- before turning forward.

Minseok has bruises over his arm, when they return. Baekhyun has a scrapped hand. Junmyeon is seemingly unharmed. Considering it was obviously a trap, they’ve come out of it surprisingly well.

Too much so.

Kyungsoo doesn’t like the suspicious feeling settling in his gut, but he has a hard time believing they got away so easily. He turns to look at Jongin, as Yixing heals their injuries, and meets his gaze. Jongin’s expression says all Kyungsoo needs to know. He thinks it’s weird too.

Once the healing is done, they return to the other Dimension, just to be safe. Kyungsoo shares another look with Jongin, before returning to his room. It really is weird, right? Kyungsoo wonders if he’s over thinking it.

Because, then, what _did_ happen? Was there any way the Red Forces could have followed them? Even if they had, they couldn’t follow them all the way into another dimension. Then, was there any way those three, themselves, are suspicious?

Kyungsoo sighs. Baekhyun _was_ gone for a while, and then his rescue of them was… strange. But why free them if there _was_ something up with him? As for Junmyeon and Minseok… they were the two that were, quote, “trapped,” before. Since regaining their memories, this hasn’t seemed to matter, but they never really knew what it meant. A lack of memories the others had was all it seemed to amount to, but did that really make them trapped?

Kyungsoo shakes his head, and stands. Leaves the room, leaves the apartment entirely, and heads outside. Maybe he’s over thinking it. Maybe they just _got lucky_.

Maybe the Red Forces want them to doubt each other.

Kyungsoo remembers how easy it was, before. How easily they dealt with the Red Forces. How there were only a few times when they were hurt enough for concern. When almost all of their plans to combat the Red Forces went off without much error.

There was one time, Kyungsoo remembers. Right when they beat them, the first time. When the Tree of Life managed to seal the Red Forces away. Jongin had been found, after, horribly injured, bleeding, with open, deep, scratches over his torso. That was the worst any of them had been hurt, back then.

The Red Forces have gotten smarter. Maybe stronger. And with that, they’ve managed to take three of his Friends lives. It has him doubting everything he’d ever known about them- ever thought about them- and in turn, doubting his friends competence.

Maybe Junmyeon, Minseok, and Baekhyun are just strong enough- smart enough- to escape from a trap they expected.

Kyungsoo look up at the sky- it’s probably the same as their own world, but feels different- and sighs.

“Am I over thinking this?”

Zitao would probably have told him _no_, he wasn’t over thinking it. Luhan would have said _probably._ Yifan would have likely told him _yes_, or maybe even, _I don’t know._

Or, maybe, they wouldn’t have said that. Kyungsoo thinks, suddenly, that he might not have known them that well. Not well enough to predict their answers.

His chest aches.

Nobody is hurt. All injuries healed, everyone is fine. Yixing knows this, but he still wakes with a start, to the sound of shouting. After a minute- where he tries to calm his racing heart- he hears someone leave the apartment. Then someone from one of the other rooms follows. Part of him wants to follow, too. To make sure they’re okay.

But part of him understands, already. Has the dream he woke from running over and over in his head.

Nobody is hurt. All injuries are healed. If he had better remembered his power, earlier, maybe the same could have been said for more of them. If he’d had been there, maybe the other two, too-

Yixing lays back, closes his eyes, and pushes the thoughts away.

Jongin wakes with a shout. Sits up, hand pressed to his chest. Sehun and Junmyeon both shoot up at his voice, shooting questions- concerns- that Jongin dismisses. Shakes his head, mumbles out an apology, and leaves the room. Then the apartment entirely.

It’s been six months. Jongin should have processed this by now. Maybe not accepted it- certainly not gotten over it- but processed it. Understood it had happened.

He hadn’t.

Sits against the building wall, face in his hands, and cries because he’s filled with guilt. If he had more power- if he had stayed awake long enough to use what little he had left- maybe it wouldn’t have happened. If he had taken Zitao, instead of Kyungsoo, maybe it wouldn’t have happened. If-

“Jongin.” Kyungsoo voice startles him, but he doesn’t look up. Kyungsoo sits next to him, and they remain in silence for a moment. Then, finally, “what’s wrong?”

“If I had-”

“No.”

“Wh- what?” Jongin lifts his head. Meets Kyungsoo’s too-stern expression.

“It’s not your fault.”

“But-”

“If you had managed to go back, you would have exhausted your powers. You would have _died_. There was no solution where everyone was fine. Beating yourself up about it wont help.”

“There _was_ as situation where we might all have-”

“Then it’s my fault.” Kyungsoo looks away. “I wasn’t injured, I should have stayed and let Zitao go back with you. Should have argued.”

“Kyungsoo-”

“So it’s not your fault. Quit blaming yourself. It’s okay if you’re still upset. If it still hurts. But stop…stop beating yourself up over it.”

“I- okay.” One conversation wont change his entire mindset, but Jongin nods. He’ll try. “You, too. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Okay.”


	13. Freedom I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The copy stares at the original and thinks, "I have to make a choice."  
But he'd already decided a long time ago.

Back to training. Chanyeol has never been what one would call a huge fan of guns, but considering their situation- considering what’s happened so far- he decides it couldn’t hurt to learn how to use one. If he’s alone, without his powers, he needs more than one way to defend himself. A few months of learning self defense only went so far, with the numbers of Red Forces there are.

He’s joined by Jongdae and Minseok in this venture. Where they are getting ahold of real firearms isn’t exactly easy, but that’s not exactly the place he wants to start, anyway. So they get ahold of some airsoft weapons, to learn before they bother with the task of real ones.

“I really don’t think you should ever be allowed near a gun,” Minseok says, pulling Chanyeol’s pointer figure away from the trigger. “Don’t touch that unless you’re ready to fire, _genius_.”

“Like you’re an expert?”

“No, I’m just not an idiot.”

“This is bullying.”

“Children, please,” Jongdae says, with an over-dramatic sigh. “Let’s not fight.”

“But fighting is the whole reason we’re _here_,” Chanyeol argues, grinning when Jongdae rolls his eyes.

“Not _each other_._”_

“Who knows,” Minseok starts, pointing at Jongdae with his hand. “Maybe I’ll have to shoot you one day.”

“Don’t even fucking joke about that.” Jongdae rolls his eyes. “_Obviously_ you’re the most likely to turn evil on us.”

“Say that to my face.”

“I just did.”

“Bitch.”

“Blocked.”

“This- this is a _real life conversation,_ you fucking nerd.”

“I’m glad we’re all mature adults, here,” Chanyeol says, getting a kick in the leg from Minseok. “Ow?”

“You’re like twelve, shut up.”

“Sorry we can’t all be ninety years old.”

“I’m shooting you first if I turn evil.”

“That’s fair.”

Sehun was once- back when he was a teenager- the only one the Tree of Life was able to contact. That has long since stopped being true, and generally he isn’t even the one it contacts, but it was the case once upon a time. So it isn’t _startling_, so much as just shocking, when it contacts him.

_“I’ve discovered something, please bring everyone to me so I can explain.”_

“Why tell me? I’m not the one who can actually do that.” His muttering gets no response- not that he expected it to- but it does get a weird look from Junmyeon. “The- the Tree.”

“Oh.” Junmyeon nods. “Does it need to talk to us?”

“Yeah, apparently.” Sehun nods, standing. Junmyeon mirrors the action, before leaving the room. Presumably to gather the others.

It’s going to notice. It will definitely notice. _Baekhyun_ can’t lie about being sick every time, especially when they were specifically asked to _all_ gather. The Tree is going to notice he’s not who he says he is, and they’re going to-

To do _something_.

Kill him, maybe. Would they do that, even when he bleeds? Even when he shares their friend’s face?

_Baekhyun_ guesses he’ll find out. While the others nod, give agreement, or otherwise communicate with the Tree, he hears nothing. After all: the tree’s voice is something the Red Forces could never hear.

“Okay,” Junmyeon says, startling _Baekhyun_ out of his thoughts. “We’ll check it out.”

Nobody says anything to him, though. Don’t question him. _Baekhyun_ sends a confused glance at the Tree, as they all grab onto each other. In blink they’re gone, and he’s left wondering if it’s possible it didn’t notice him.

If it did, it must have said something, right? Are they just going to pretend they don't know?

“We shouldn’t all go, this time.” Not after the last few times. Everyone nods in agreement to Junmyeon’s words. “Who wants to go, then?”

“I’ll go!” Chanyeol volunteers immediately. Next to him, Jongdae agrees.

“I- please let me go, too.” Yixing’s words surprise _Baekhyun_\- and presumably the rest of the group- but he clarifies. “If something happens, and someone gets hurt, I should be there. Besides, I…”

“Okay.” Junmyeon nods. Yixing breathes a relieved sigh. “That should be-”

“Let me go, too.” _Baekhyun_ is surprised by his own voice. Nobody else seems _that_ shocked, though Chanyeol does look at him with an amount of confusion.

“You?”

“Yeah- well- four seems like a good number, right? Nice and even.” Silence. Was that obvious? Did they already-

“Okay.” Junmyeon nods, again, laughing. “You can go, just be careful.”

“Of course.”

They take a few days to prepare, this time. The entire time, Junmyeon’s gut fills with worry. Like something is bound to go wrong. Yet, he doesn’t know why. This _should_ feel the most real, of anything they’ve went to check on- deal with- in the past few months. The most in line with the Red Forces usual motives.

Junmyeon feels more and more like his instincts keep steering him wrong. The traps he hadn’t felt any hesitance about, had even pushed for them checking on. This, which doesn’t make sense to be a trap, is the most on edge he’s felt about anything.

He shares this with Minseok.

“Actually, me too,” Minseok admits.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I mean- I agreed with you last time, remember?”

“Maybe we’re both awful at judging situations.”

“Maybe.”

It’s in the middle of an _actual_ city, this time. A real building in a real place, where real people might see, if something strange happens. They wait until dark, before Jongin drops the four off, and stays in the building across from the one in question. The Tree had said that the Red Forces were gathering power. Energy. Something they had very specifically done the first time they’d faced them. When the Red Forces had rushed plans ahead because the Tree of Life was regaining power. This time it isn’t a rush, but that doesn’t make it any less of a concern.

They’re left at the back of the building- which, like the front, ends on a sidewalk next to a street- which has a door with an electronic lock. Luckily they have the means to short-circuit it, with Jongdae present. There aren’t any cameras- to everyone’s surprise- but they’re careful as they make their way towards it, anyway. They already look strange- especially Baekhyun with a sword at his side- so they’re as careful as they try to be quick.

And then the door opens before they can reach it. There’s the sound of chaos, from inside the building, but that isn’t what draws Chanyeol’s attention. The others all lurch to a stop, Baekhyun at the front of the group. As someone runs- stumbles- from the door. Then they all freeze.

There are two of them. The group freezes, staring at Baekhyun- at the _two Baekhyun’s_\- in abject shock. The one who hadn’t been traveling with them looks so frail. Lost weight, bruised, eyes sunken with exhaustion. The one that had been with them- the one who looks healthy, who has a scar across his face- looks between them and the other Baekhyun with less shock than he should.

“Guys!” The sickly Baekhyun calls out to them. “He’s- he’s a fake! They caught me and- you’ve been with a fake!”

“Baekhyun?” Yixing asks, turning to the one they’d been traveling with. He takes steps away from them- towards the other Baekhyun- with a short laugh.

“Well, it’s been fun.” There's a surprising lack of humor, or even sarcasm, in his voice.

And then he runs. Grabs the other Baekhyun by the wrist- he’s too weak to fight back- and runs into the building. The others follow, blocked by a door shutting them out. It takes a solid ten seconds- or more than- to short circuit the lock, letting them through. When they're through, the two are already out of sight.

Baekhyun stares at his doppelganger, as they come to a stop in one of the building’s room. The other looks around the room, seeming to decide something, then lets go of Baekhyun. He knows he can’t outrun him- for the same reason Baekhyun couldn’t break his wrist free- so he stays. Waits for _something_. Any opportunity. His legs shake, from not being used for so long. The timing- the fact that he _finally_ managed to escape, only to run into the doppelganger- has him close to tears.

“You’re going to _escape from me_,” the other him says. Baekhyun looks up and blinks. Once, twice. Shock evident on his face. “You got it? You’re going to _blind me_, and escape.”

“What?”

The other him pulls the sword from his belt, handing it to Baekhyun. Uses it to stab _himself,_ in the arm, and takes a step back. Pulls out a phone, puts it in Baekhyun’s other hand, then nods to himself. “There. Go.”

“I don’t… understand.”

“I can’t help them escape a second time without it being too obvious.” _Again?_ Baekhyun’s confusion only grows. “Please just go.”

“Why?”

“Why?” He repeats. Laughs. “Because they’re- because I like them. I’m blaming your memories for that.”

“The others have their memories, too.” The statement makes the other flinch. Baekhyun watches as he frowns, then looks down at his own hands. “Okay. Thank you.”

“For what? You surprised me by fighting back and escaped.” Blood hits the ground. A sign that the copies are more human than the rest of the Red Forces.

“Right.”

Baekhyun turns and runs. Uses the last of his energy not dedicated to running, to create a flash of light- to make his escape convincing- and runs until he finds the others.

They run, force their way out of the building- getting Baekhyun to safety taking priority- and then they’re gone. Somewhere Baekhyun doesn’t recognize.

“Baekhyun, what happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah, it finally happened.  
one more chapter and we're caught up w/ what i had written. i have plenty of motivation! but i keep not being able to rest enough to have energy to write so.........  
whoops?


	14. Freedom II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe he's too good of a copy, which is why Baekhyun went free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is............chapter 14  
aha sure woulda been cool if i had preemptively written........more chapters.   
whoops  
oh well n ones reading this anyway

Running proved little help. Baekhyun didn’t make it far from Zitao before he was caught. He wonders- off and on over the months that follow- if he should have stayed. Should have at least been there with Zitao, for his last moments. Would he have been upset, if Baekhyun had stayed to get caught? Was he relieved when Baekhyun agreed to run? Was he hurt, when he had? Was he scared?

He must have been. Zitao was always so easily scared, Baekhyun remembers, over the months that followed.

At first, they have him in a hospital bed. Hooked up to _something._ They don’t feed him, just barely keep him alive, and he’s too weak to escape. After the first three months, they move him into some pod-like thing. Filled up with the same blue liquid they’d had him hooked up to. Given air through a mask that covers his face and nose, and left there, like that.

For a while, Baekhyun wonders if the others think he’s dead. If they think he’s alive, but don’t know where he is. If they’re worried, or hurt, or-

If anyone is going to save him.

And then he find out about _them._ The copies. He never sees his own- off living his life for him- but he sees the other. _Kyungsoo, Junmyeon, _and _Jongin_ all look at him with something like disgust, when they’re in the room with him. _Jongdae, Sehun,_ and _Chanyeol_ with something like disappointment. _Minseok _and_ Yixing_ with an expression he hasn’t quite placed, even after escaping.

They rarely talked to him. Sometimes about him, while out there. Words enough to tell him what’s going on- what they are- but nothing specific enough for him to have the whole picture. He learns a few of them have taken on other names; including _Jongin_ taking the name _Kai_, which would amuse him in any other situation.

(One time, they all leave the room after talking about something to do with the other Baekhyun, out there, except for _Yixing._ Lay, he calls himself. He looks at Baekhyun with that expression Baekhyun still can’t place, and speaks. “Why was it _you__?__”_ He still doesn’t know what the question meant. Couldn’t answer or ask, and after a silent moment, Lay left.)

Baekhyun wouldn’t actually be able to explain how he managed to escape. _Someone_ freed him. Masked and refusing to speak, they opened the pod, let him out, and then pointed him in the direction of the door. Pushed him until he ran, then left in a different direction.

And then he ran into the others, there with the fake him. Had thought, when the other him grabbed him, that he was going to be caught again. That maybe the others would be replaced, too. But, then, the other him had let Baekhyun go.

“He… just let you go?” Yixing asks, as he tries to heal what he can of Baekhyun. Unfortunately a lack of food and rest are harder to heal than physical wounds, or illness caused by outside forces.

“Yeah.” Baekhyun frowns. Raises the fencing sword and stares at it.

“I can’t believe we- we’ve been hanging out with a _fake_ for months! How did we never notice?!” Chanyeol’s disbelief echoes around the room.

“You might have, if you’d asked about anything since we regained our memories.”

“What?”

“He was only given my memories from before. They all were.”

“They?” Yixing asks, taking a step back. Exhaustion is clear on his features.

“Thank you.” Baekhyun says, before answering. “There are more of them. One for each of us.”

“But- wait- he knew about Zitao…” Chanyeol says.

“So do all of the Red Forces. They _did it_.” Baekhyun’s words come out harsher than he means. He mutters a small apology when Chanyeol flinches. The image of Zitao is still fresh in his mind.

“I can’t believe we- we _trusted_ him.” Junmyeon runs a hand over his face. Minseok hums in agreement. Baekhyun stares at the two, for a second. Considering. Then he turns back to the others, lowering his hand with the sword in it.

“He was on our side.”

“What?” Kyungsoo’s question echoes through the room. Followed by silence.

“He let me go.”

“That’s not-”

“And _saved you_, once.” Baekhyun reaches into his pocket, where he put the other him’s phone.

“But- that- wasn’t that just a ploy to make us trust him?” Jongdae says, as if trying to convince himself.

_“I don’t know what happened,”_ Baekhyun reads, _“but they’re all back. Did they escape?”_

“What is-”

“He sent that. Do you think he’d _lie to the Red Forces_ about it, if he was just trying to gain your trust? And he _already had it_, because you thought he was me.”

Silence, as they process this. Baekhyun hands the phone to Yixing, who raises an eyebrow at him. Baekhyun shakes his head, and Yixing frowns, but takes it.

The _other him_\- the fake- had chosen Baekhyun’s friends over the Red Forces. Over the other copies. By letting Baekhyun go, he effectively let out a bunch of information- handing his phone over, too, adds to this- and strengthened the groups defenses against the Red Forces. Allowed them to prepare to face the fake them’s. Part of him feels sick at the thought that he’d been replaced; that the others hadn’t noticed. Part of him feels sad, for the other him, who let him escape. Who should have just come with them.

Or maybe he didn’t have that option. In which case, Baekhyun is sad for that.

Nobody talks, for the rest of the night.

_Baekhyun_ stands to the side of the room, with the _others_. Kai is the first the speak. A simple, mocking, “I can’t believe he got away from you.”

“Neither can I,” _Baekhyun_ says, simply. “I didn’t think he’d have the energy to fight back, so I was caught off guard.”

“Uh huh. Too bad it was the _defective_ one that got caught,” Kai says, earning a laugh from D.O. It’s strange to _Baekhyun_, now that he’s spent time with the _originals,_ how different they are. Especially the ones refusing to use _their _names. When they have all of their memories, just like he does. Maybe he really is a failed copy. Or a _too good_ one.

“Maybe the reason he was so easy to catch is _why_ poor Baek is a failed copy,” _Chanyeol _offers. Next to him, Suho rolls his eyes.

“So what were the _originals_ like?” Xiumin asks, turning to Baekhyun.

“Yours was pathetic,” Lay adds, before he can respond. Baekhyun frowns at that, looking away.

“Exactly how you think they are. You have the _originals _memories.”

“_Originals.”_ Suho scoffs. “Like they’re better than us. Their strength doesn’t reflect ours.”

“Oh, have you mastered your powers now, then?” _Baekhyun _turns to him with a grin. “Or are you still unable to control it?”

Suho _growls_ at him, and _Baekhyun _holds up his hands in a dismissive defense. “At least I have the power I’m supposed to.”

“Sure, sure. Of course.”

Lay stands to leave, rolling his eyes. “This is a stupid discussion.”

After a moments pause, _Baekhyun_ follows him. They walk in silence, for a while, before _Baekhyun_ finally speaks. “Something wrong?”

“No.” Lay shakes his head. “Really, how did you let him get away?”

“Hm?” Baekhyun hums, at that, considering. “He really just caught me off guard. Guess I am a defective copy after all.”

His laughter is met with a glare. “You’re not.”

“Getting your original's niceness?”

“Niceness.” Lay scoffs turning to look forward. “Is that what he’s like? Nice?”

“Yeah, I guess. I mean, you’d know more than me. You’ve got his memories.”

“Right.” Lay stops, in front of a door. For a second, when his expression becomes a small frown, he looks so much like Yixing, _Baekhyun_ almost forget who he’s looking at. “You should choose another name.”

“Huh?”

“Having the same name as _him_ doesn’t suit you.” And then Lay is through the door, leaving _Baekhyun_ behind.

He laughs, for a second. But it _does _suit him, maybe more than any of the others. After all, he chose to take _their_ side in this, despite how he was created.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, Comments are always greatly appreciated


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